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Yes. Test, test. I agree. Like, okay. Well, I want to, I want to wish you a good morning and tell you that Tisha and I are both very, very delighted to be with you, although we’re sorry for the circumstances that bring a sheer way. Sorry to hear about Aaron and what he’s going through with this pain. Certainly hope he gets to feeling better soon. And I told the editor telling me it’s not a young pup anymore. That it’s only young people that should be trying to get out of trees like that. But some of us older folks, it takes us a while to catch on to the fact that we’re not as young as we used to be. I also to thank you for the support that you’ve given to the Memphis school of preaching over the years, we couldn’t do what we do without good folks. Like you providing us with the opportunity to help train men, to preach the gospel. And I know with reference to Michael Dale, he’s under the weather too this week because of a stomach virus. And so I’m having to be in town. Most of my appointments have been canceled in 2020. I haven’t done a lot of traveling, although it’s starting to pick up a little bit again. And so it was a thrill for me to be able to come over and be with you. I wonder if you’d stop and think with me for a moment. Some of you are old enough to be members of the church for decades. And I wonder how many Bible classes do you think you have attended in your lifetime? How many hours of Bible study would you guesstimate in your mind that you have actually attended over the period of your lifetime? If you start, when you’re small and mom and dad take you to services and then you keep going your whole life, literally hundreds and even thousands of hours of Bible study can be represented. Now, if I ask you, can you tell me the number one thing that stands out to you after all your hours of Bible study? What’s the number one thing you remember learning in Bible study? I’m sure that you would probably say there’s so many things. It would be hard to narrow it down to just one thing, but what I want to do for just a few minutes this morning in this Bible study period, is explore with you the power of even one hour of Bible study and how revolutionary that can be. And to prove this to you. I want you to go back with me about oil to the sixth century before Christ or 600 years before Christ during the time of a man by the name of Josiah. And if you’ll go to second Kings chapter 22, I would remind all of us that it was a new Testament, Christian named Paul, who said that the old Testament was written for the learning of the Christians, that Rome it’s certainly written for our learning as well. And as we explore second Kings chapter 22, when we start off, we see Josiah is only eight years old when he begins to rain, he is in that position to reign and he rains a total of 31 years. And the Bible talks about his mother. And then look at the overall assessment of Josiah that is given to you in may. And second Kings 22 two. He did that, which was right in the sight of the Lord. He walked in all the way of David, his father. He turned not aside to the right hand or the left. And then when he was 26 years old, this is the 18th year of his reign verse number three. So he was when he started we’re 18 years into his reign. So we’re now Josiah is 26 years old. I wish we had more 26 year olds with a heart of Josiah. And I’m glad for the ones we do have you’ll notice when he was 26, he actually sent Shay fan the son of ACLI, the son of Michelle and the scribe to the house of God saying, I want you to go up to Hilkiah the high priest. I want him to keep a record of, or some the silver that is brought into the house of the Lord. And so long story short for the sake of our time here today, while they’re in the process of fulfilling that task, they find a book. And if you’ll drop down to verse number eight, you’ll see that he’ll carry the high priest says to Shay fan the scribe. I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord, and then he’ll CAG gives it to Shay fan and he reads it Shay fan the scribe then comes to the King verse nine and he’s reporting what had happened. We found that we gathered the money that was found in the house and cetera, and he’ll cry. The priest verse 10 is delivered me a book. And then Shay fan starts reading it before the King. And we’re not told exactly what section of scripture was read in the King’s ears that day, but we know that it changed him. We know that it absolutely revolutionized the nation in good ways. Positive ways. This hour of Bible study was going to be a moment of tremendous importance in the life of Judah. You’ll notice the reaction of the King in verse 11, when he heard the words of the law, the book of the law, he rent his clothes. He’s hearing a section of scripture that moved him emotionally. It is not a pleasant section of scripture. It’s one of those severity passages. You know, Romans 1122 says that you and I ought to be holed the goodness and severity of God. And as you and I think about defining God, I know he’s good. He is so good. I also know that there are times when he has to be severe because of his holiness. And here on this occasion, Josiah is reading a section that has to do with it has to do with the punishment that was coming to Israel or Judah in particular here. And so the King does something. I want you to number one, notice he was moved by the study of God’s word. And I’m not asking for a show of hands here, obviously, but can you think back to moments in your life where you have studied the word of God, either in private, personal study or in the midst of a gospel meeting or sermon that was preached or a class and that it has moved you, it has brought you to tears. It has caused you to feel a sense of need to change. This is the humility that Josiah possesses. And one second thing I’d like for you to notice. Josiah does not just want to take this without thinking about it. He wants to double check his understanding of the word. So look at verse 13, he tells him to go and choir the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that is found. I want to double check this great is the wrath of the Lord kindled against us, because look at his willingness to admit even this, our fathers have not hearkened under the words of this book to do, according to all that, which is written concerning us. It’s never pleasant for anyone, any one of us to have to suggest or admit that our ancestors might not have followed the word of God, the way they should have, or that some loved one has not lived the way they should have. That’s not easy for any of us, but there are times when we have to be that willing to make such a concession. And Josiah says, look, based on what this book is saying, we are not right. And our fathers were not right and we need to fix it. And so the confirmation is then given in verse number 16, thus say the Lord behold, I will bring evil or punishment upon this place. Upon the inhabitants thereof. Even how many, All the words Of the book, which the King of Judah has read. Now, I’d like to ask you, is God’s temperament ever hair-trigger. Is that ever one of these deals where he’s just had a bad day and he’s going to take it out on the human race? No. Is there a reason assigned for this severity of God? Look at verse 17 because they have forsaken me. What’s the very first commandment of the 10 commandments under which these people lived very first commandment was what thou shall have no other gods before me. They had not listened. They were actually burning incense to these other gods verse 17. And God says, this provokes me to anger with all the works of their hands. And therefore my rash shall be kindled against this place shall not be quenched, but watch, watch what happens when a man receives this word humbly to the King of Judah verse 18, which sent you to inquire the Lord. Thus showed you say to him as touching the words, which you’ve heard then verse 19, because dine heart was tender. And thou has humbled ourselves before the Lord. When thou heard us, when I speak against this place and against the habit in Sarah, that they should become a desolation that occurs and have rent that close and actually wept before me. I have heard of the, I’ve heard the says the Lord, and I will gather the end of that fathers. And you’ll be gathered to your grave in peace and your eyes. Won’t see all the punishment or evil that I’m going to bring upon this place. And so Josiah’s humility extended his life of peace with God. In fact, God says, Josiah, I’m still going to do everything I said I was going to do, but because of your humility and receiving my word, I’m going to put it off until after you’re dead and gone and stop and let that sink in for a moment. One man’s humility and righteousness was a blessing to the nation as a whole. And God withheld the judgment sooner than he would have. If it hadn’t been for Josiah’s humble attitude. What a tremendous man, Josiah is. In fact, I want you to go to second Chronicles. This is a parallel text to what you’re reading here in second Kings. And I want you to see in second Chronicles, chapter 33, the Bible tells us actually second Chronicles, 34 is what I mean to say, the Bible tells us about this same man, Josiah. And I want you to notice in verse three, what it says he did when he was 16 years old. I know, you know, that text, remember that create or winter was supposed to do that in the days of our youth, right? Those Josiah. Do that. Remember how old was he? When he started his reign, he was a co Regent reigning at the same time as someone else. And so not required to make all decisions at that age, but he starts officially at age eight. Now let’s ask this question. How old is he? According to second Chronicles, 34 in verse three. It’s the eighth year of his reign and eight plus eight is he’s 16, 16 years old. And what is the Bible say while he was yet young? He began to seek after the God of David, his father. And then when he was 20 years old, the 12th year of his reign, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, the groves, the carved images, the molten images. And as the 20 year old, he helped break down the altars of Baylor him in his presence and the images that were on high above. He cut them down and he had actually made dust out of them and spread them on the ashes of the brute kid, drawn spread the ashes on the brick kid, drawn, let it flow away. Get out of my sight to get that out of here. We don’t need that strikes me that yesterday. And, but believe me, what I’m about to say is not a criticism of sports and college football. I enjoy watching that very, very much. And every Saturday, 20 year old kids and above, or around that age, get out on the field and do things that make the highlight reel that night. Look what this guy did. Look what this guy did. They’re 20 years old, some of them, and what is it that makes them famous. They can throw a ball. They can catch a ball. They can block, they can tackle. They can run. They can sack. They can kick what made Josiah stand up at 20 years old and friends, isn’t this what we need in this world. 20 year olds, 40 year old, 60 year olds who have this kind of humility and mentality that says, let’s get rid of everything that doesn’t honor. God let’s do that. So that’s what they do. Verse four, they broke down the altars of all these idols in his presence. And he burnt the bones of the priest upon those altars. Now, this is interesting because 345 years earlier, you remember in first Kings 13, there was this young prophet who came to King Jeroboam and he pronounced a judgment upon him for his idolatry. I want you to go back to first Kings 13 for just a moment. I want to show you something that shows that God, even though centuries may pass between what God predicts and the actual event happening. God keeps his will. He keeps his promises. He never fails. In first Kings chapter 13, the Bible says in verse one, that there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord and the Bethel Jeroboam, who was an idolater is standing by the altar to burn incense. But he cries against the older, this young prophet does and says all altar altar, thus say the Lord behold, a child shall be born into the house of David Josiah by name. Now we think it’s remarkable. And it is that Jesus’s birth was predicted seven centuries. Actually, even more than that, Isaiah seven is around seven centuries before Christ, but we need not forget. There are some other fascinating prophecies in scripture. I want to ask you to name the president of the United States, 345 years from right now. I’d like you to tell me his or her name and what they will do. That’s going to be of significance 345 years from now. Anybody. I have no idea. If the United States of America will still be, or this world will still be here 345 years from now, though. I hope and pray that if the world is still here, that this country will still be here and serving God in lore Holy ways, but for God to nail down the fact that 345 years later, a man by the name of Josiah would do what this man, Josiah, according to first Kings 13, is going to offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon these talking to the altar men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. And sure enough, what you and I are reading here in second Chronicles, chapter 34 in verse five, he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars and cleanse to Judah and Jerusalem. And I’ll tell you, what’s fascinating about Josiah. He’s the King of the Southern kingdom, which is primarily Judah and Benjamin absorbed into it. These places you’re about to read of in verse six, Manasseh that’s Northern kingdom stuff. Ephraim verse six Simeon had started out in the South and Ben kind of absorbed into a lot of different areas and had no longer maintained their tribal identity. A NAFTA lie. That’s a Northern kingdom. Territory’s here is here’s Joe Tsai, exerting positive influence over a kingdom. He’s not even the King of One hour. Bible study can change the world around you for the better. If you take that hour of Bible study and humbly received the word that you learn. And the Bible says in verse number seven, that he broke down the altars, the groves, he beat the graven images into powder, cut down all the idols through the whole land of Israel. And then he returns to Jerusalem. He is determined to do whatever he can do as far as God will allow him to extend his influence. And then when he’s 26 years old, verse eight of second Chronicles, 34, that’s where again, they find the book of the law and he is the one who’s willing to receive it. I want you to drop down to verse number 27. I want you to see in second Chronicles, 34, 26, actually second Chronicles, 34, 26. This is what the prophet is sends word back to Josiah. You tell Josiah verse 27, because then heart was tender. And you did humble yourself before God, when you heard his words against this place and against the inhabitants thereof and you humbled by myself before me and you did, Rindge your clothes and weep before me, I’ve even heard the also say the Lord, I would like to ask this question, Okay, Do you? And I see anything’s happening in our country that bring us to tears. That causes us to feel a sense of great sorrow. And let me ask this question. Can’t even one of us can a group of us feel these things be moved by these things, pray about these things. Receive the word of God and try to get the word of God to others. Can we change the world around us, by our actions and our attitudes? Yes, we can. And notice Josiah look at verse number 31. What he does. He stood in his place. Second Chronicles, 34th. And first thing he did verse 29. I should have told you, he sent first and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem said, everyone come this hour Bible study that it had as made him want to spread this word to others. So he convenes an assembly of all the elders and the people of Judah and Jerusalem. And then notice what he does. Talk about leadership. See this verse 30, the King went up into the house of the Lord, all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levis, all the people great and small. And he read in their ears. All the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord, Josiah. Now that you’ve found the word of God, what are you going to do with it? I’m going to get me a big assembly. As many people as I can. I’m going to command everyone to come to Jerusalem and then I’m going to go up and I’m going to read those same words to everyone. Everyone needs to hear the same words that I just heard. And I’m going to be an evangelist to make sure that the word of God gets told that is the action that he did. And so picture him verse 31, standing in his place and then making a covenant before the Lord, before the group he’s promising, he’s going to walk after the Lord, keep his commandments, his testimonies, his statutes, how much with all his heart and with all his soul to perform the words of the covenant, which are written in this book, he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it and say, you will, you do the same. Here’s the commitment I’m making to keep the covenant of God. Will you make that same commitment? That is the action and the attitude of Josiah and look at what he does in verse 33. He took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel. And they made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the Lord, their God not idols and all his days, they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers, Josiah. One of my very favorite Bible characters, because watch what happens in chapter 35. There’s a Passover that is kept by Josiah. Now, this is interesting. According to scripture, the Passover was supposed to be kept on the 14th day of the first month. Now has the had preceded Josiah as a King. And he had actually to his credit said, let’s observe the Passover, but they were not able to get everyone sanctified and purified in time. And so they followed the teaching of numbers and they actually were able to keep it in the second month. But that was not the ideal time. That was not the real originally prescribed time. It’s kind of like if you want to use an illustration that we’re familiar with, someone might not be able to make it for Sunday morning services to worship with the whole group. And I’m talking about those who are healthy and able to get out and about. And so maybe they have a sick child, they have a flat tire on the way here. They are something that keeps them from being here at the normally scheduled service. And so then at a second service later in the same day, still the first day of the week, they partake of the Lord’s supper. And yet the next Sunday, their ideal goal is to be there, you know, for the morning worship service and to be a part of this. And they’re not deliberately trying to miss Josiah does something that even has a cat didn’t do. He restored the Passover back to the original time. It was intended to be kept. And in fact, if you’ll notice in second Chronicles, 35 in verse, number one, Josiah kept a Passover. They killed the Passover on the 14th day of the first month. Now zoom in, if you will please, on the statement that is made in verse number 13, they roasted the Passover with fire. According to the ordinance, they’re following the word of God and verse 18, there was no Passover like to that captain Israel from the days of ready, Samuel, the prophet, neither did all the Kings of Israel keeps such a Passover as Josiah kept and the priests and the Levi’s rights and all Judah and Israel that were present and inhabitants of Jerusalem question, did Josiah have a different book than they had? No. Why didn’t these others who had the same book observed the Passover in the same way that Josiah did? Because that’s what I’m telling you. He, his heart was so focused on doing exactly what God said do in the way God says do it. He so humbled to try to do whatever God says that he sets an example for the rest. And there was no King. None of the Kings of Israel ever kept a Passover like Josiah did. And he was the one who led the way in observing this and doing what God said to do. I want you to go back to second Kings 23 for just a moment. Hold your place in second Chronicles, 35 for the end here. But I want to go back to second Kings 23, and I want to get a little more specific. I’ve shown you right now. Let’s see where we’ve been so far. Number one, we’ve seen Josiah hearing the word. We seen him double checking the word to make sure that he’s really understanding those words and incidentally, whom does that remind you of in the new Testament, double checking to make sure this is really what it’s saying. Who do you think of in the new Testament? Yeah, the noble Bereans who, what search the scriptures. But we often skip to that part and skip over. Maybe we don’t intend to skip over the first part of acts 17, 11. Do you know that before it ever says they searched the scriptures daily, it says something about their humility and bind. They received the word with all the, remember the language readiness of mind. Does that sound like Josiah? When they read those words to him, those condemning words, does he say, I’m not accepting that if you can’t preach me a positive sermon, then get out of here. His idea is, listen. If that’s what the word of God says, I need to know it. Now I need to double check that and make sure I’ve understood that correctly. And so he sends for information and that message is confirmed. And then he, we see him spreading the word, convening the assembly, getting everyone together and making sure that everyone’s on the same page. And then we see him keeping his, making a pledge tool Bay, the word in front of others. He sets the example and then we see him keeping his promise to do that in second Chronicles, 34. But if you go back to chapter 23, look at the specific things he removed. He eliminated everything he, that he could not find approved of in God’s word. Look at second Chronicle or second Kings rather, I’m sorry. Chapter 23. And look at verse two, he went up into the house of the Lord, and this is a reiteration of what we read in second Chronicles, 34, but it gets a little more specific. I would like you to note that even the small and the great are there and he read in their ears, all the words of the book of the covenant, all of them, I know some preachers and I tell our students this. I said, listen, don’t be that preacher, that every time people get up and go to services, they think, well, let’s see what we did wrong this week. And we’ll just get blasted again from the pulpit week after week after week, we’re not doing this. We’re not doing that. We’re not doing this. I said, second. Don’t be that preacher that gets up. And it’s always sugar and spice and everything nice. And there’s never a challenge. There’s never a warning. There’s never an exhortation. There’s never anyone who needs to be reproved or rebuked. It’s always sugar and spice and everything nice. Now, which of those is the right way to be, to always preach only the positive and never the negative or to all this preach only the negative and never the positive. Tell me which of those two is correct or are either of them correct? What you want is what a blend? Listen, a car battery has a positive pole and what a negative pole and do they both have a function. They both have something to do. Yes. And so our preaching ought to have a sense of positivity and negativity combined. As long as it’s coming from the word of God, Josiah is one of those individuals who says, look, if that’s what the word of God says, I want to do it. And I’m going to live according to God’s word. And so when he finds out what God wants, look at what he starts doing. He starts removing idolatrous items from the temple that were put there by his kinfolk, before him, he starts eliminating those things. And verse number four, carrying the ashes. Last part of the verse out into Bethel, put down the aisle. He gets rid of the idolatrous priest. He says, you’re out of a job all but we’re priests. No, you’re not, not here. Not going to be priest to an odd God that doesn’t even exist. No, he put down the idolatrous priests, verse five, whom the Kings of Judah, that’s his kin who proceeded him, had ordained to burn incense in the high, in the cities of Judah. He says, you’re out of a job. Verse six. He brought out the Grove from the house of the Lord. They had actually, they had actually turned the temple of God into an idolatrous worship center. And he took that out of the temple. He brought it to the Brook kid, Rome burned it at the Brook kid, drone stamped it small to powder and cast the powder on the graves of the children of the people. Look at what he does in verse seven, broke down the houses of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord. That influence did not need to be near the temple or anywhere in sight. So he got rid of the filth that was taking place in the neighborhood of the temple, where God was supposed to be worshiped. And then verse eight, he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah defile the high places where the priest had burned in since all the way from Gabby to Beersheba and broke down the high places of the Gates. And he defiled verse 10. He defiled Tulsa with which is in the Valley of the children of Hinnom. Now let’s stop here. This is not going to be pleasant, but let’s let’s address it. You know what the Greek word for hell is in the new Testament. You probably heard this. I’m sure get henna. It is hearkening back to the Valley of Hinnom. What happened in the Valley of Hinnom? This is where parents would actually take their small children and put them on top of a figure that had been built with an opening in between the arms. The arms would be built like this to hold something over a fire. And here is a child that has put in those arms and a fire is built underneath it. And the child is burned alive as a sacrifice to a God. That’s not even real, doesn’t even exist. That’s sick. Who would ever do that to a child, a friend. I don’t want to be mistaken at what I’m about to say, but I won’t say it hopefully lovingly and compassionately and firmly all at the same time, there are barbaric things happening to innocent children in this country because of some who were determined to extend a right that God never gave. And that is the right to abort, a child deliberately and with purpose, for the purpose of not this, isn’t like going to the doctor and trying to have a baby. And unfortunately, complications develop and the child doesn’t make it. This is not that this is a little deliberate choice. We say, look at these barbarians, taking children and burning them alive. How could you be? So barbaric, one of the methods of abortion that is approved in this country, it’s approved as being used in this country is a saline abortion in which a saline is injected into the womb and the saline has a corrosive effect and it burns the skin of the child inside off of its body. And about 24 hours later, the mother gives birth to the child dead. It’s called a candy Apple baby by some, because the outer skin has been burned away. You tell me that that’s not barbaric. You tell me that that shouldn’t be on our minds. As we think about the folks that are going to lead our nation, where we live protecting the children is always been an important thing for any government official to do. And your side does just that here in second Chronicles. And second Kings, I said, we’d close out with second Chronicle. So I want to go back there very quickly with you. Look at second, Chronicles 34, or make it 35 and verse 25. This also give you a little perspective as to where to put Josiah on the prophetic timeline. What does your Bible say about who lamented for Josiah? And he died, who, who stands out as having lamented his loss, his passing, Jeremiah, the prophet, Jeremiah lamented for Joe Tsai, all the scene men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their Lamentations to this day, made them an ordinance in Israel, behold, they’re written in the laminations and the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness. According to that, which was written in the law of the Lord, his deeds first and last behold, they’re written in the book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. It strikes me as I close years ago, many, many, many centuries ago, Josiah was introduced to a section of scripture that changed him. That caused him to go out and change others and change the, And here we are studying centuries later about this very man’s experience with Bible study and what it did to him and his nation. Can we leave today with this one hour of Bible study and be moved to be more like Josiah in good ways, and to imitate his excellence and to change the people around us as we first change ourselves, can we do that? We can. And it’s a true blessing to be able to study this man. One of the greatest men of the old Testament. Sure. Still a man, but a man of humility who said I will change and I’ll do everything I can to get others to do the same. And what motivated that study of the word of God? Good morning. Welcome to the Collierville Sunday morning services here at Collierville church Christ. It’s great to see each and every one of you and those of you that are unable to attend that are either on the dial in or watching on the live stream. We welcome you. And we can’t wait until the day comes that we can see everybody assembled here. Again, worship our Lord to our visitors this morning have special. Welcome to you. And thank you for choosing the Collierville church of Christ to worship God this morning. And we have a couple of special guests with us here today. BJ Clark and his wife, Tish are here. BJ will be bringing us a message this morning, and then Tim Boswell and his wife, Hannah are also with us today. And Tim is going to lead our song service for us this morning. So thank you all for joining us today. Other announcements, if you did not pick up the Lord’s supper, please take this opportunity to pick it up. It’s on the tables in the back prepared for you for the, when the Lord suppers taking the day are sick. There are many of on our sick lists, so let’s please remember Janet Jones. She’s still in the Memphis Jewish home. She may be coming home this week if her improvement continues. So that’s good news for Janet. Pam chafing is with us this morning. She is still in the recovery process from her back surgery, but she’s doing better. And her doctor has kind of let her go on, you know, do as she can and get out. So it’s great to see Pam with us this morning, Dorothy Wilson is having some very high blood pressure issues. So please keep Dorothy and your thoughts and prayers, Sylvia pass is going to have another nerve block procedure. That’s coming Friday to try to resolve her back problems. So please keep Sylvia and your thoughts and prayers. Michael Dale is not with us this morning. He has a virus of some type. It is not the coronavirus, but he does have a virus. And so he had to stay home. So please keep him and their family and your thoughts and prayers, and naturally Aaron, our preacher. You only had his surgery on Thursday on his wrist to set his wrist after he broke his wrist. And he’s in quite a bit of pain from that. So please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he goes through his recovery process. Other announcements Nesbith church of Christ have a gospel meeting October 4th, which is today through the seventh. We have a flyer up on the bulletin board. If you’re interested in details on that, the 45th annual spiritual sword lectureship at Getwell church Christ here in Memphis, starts on the 18th of October and goes through the 22nd. The flyer is on the bulletin board. Also with all the details for that nationwide gospel meeting for the call in the flyers are out there on a table. So if you’ve been doing that or if you’re interested in what that’s all about, please pick one of them up. That is Monday through Friday evenings at nine o’clock each night. There’s a call and it’s about a half hour long Bible study on a telephone powder children’s home pantry item for the month of October is Velveeta cheese. And the last announcement is reminder for the men. On Monday, October 12th at 7:00 PM, we’ll have our monthly men’s business meeting. We do have a sheet on the board out there to bulletin board for agenda items. So if anyone has anything that needs to be addressed in the men’s business meeting, please put that on that sheet. So we can talk about them in our meeting our services this morning song leader, as I said will be Tim Boswell, opening prayer. We’ll be Jay Schaefer, Lord supper. We’ll be Joel caisson. Our sermon will be brought to us by BJ Clark and a closing prayer will be Terry Sanderson. Thank you. Good morning. Our first song. Listen to this morning. It’s going to be song number two. Number two, We praise thee O God for the son of for Jesus. now God dying. The glory. yeah. Oh man. Yeah, dine the glory. we praise thee. Oh God. For the spirit who has shown us? the glory. Hi. Yeah. Oh man. Yeah, the glory revive us and Oh, glory and praise to the lamb. That was slain. glory. man. no glory. all glory and praise to the God of all grace who has bought us and saw a sign guy. Dad ways. Yeah, the I’m the glory yeah. Oh man. Yeah, the glory revive us. revive us again. Philly charged with five from Hollina. Yeah, the glory Hollin yeah. Oh man. Yeah, the glory revive us again and We have a new prayer almighty God, our father in heaven. We’re so odd by that presence. We with our finite minds cannot begin to comprehend how magnificent your intellect truly is, but we are so very grateful that you chose to create us in your image and create this entire universe for us. We, as I say are so odd that we cannot begin to comprehend how truly magnificent you are. And we are so bounded by the element of time that we are at such a handicap. We have trouble even remittance regarding how magnificent and truly great the life would be forever. We’re so grateful. Also, father, that you sent your son to this world, to be an example, and to give us your word that we may have that hope one day of being with you forever. We are so grateful that he came to this world to forgive our sins and we, but have to repent and turn from them to be whole and pure in your sight. And we know that you will hear our prayers. We have many things to be so grateful for most of all, we’re grateful for our families and the church and the things that are represented here in this community. We’re mindful of those that are not able to be with us due to illnesses. We pray that your healing hand will be placed upon them, that they will run once again, be restored to their much wanted Hill. We’re also mindful of those that have recently lost, loved ones that you will comfort them. We are thankful for the multitude of other blessings that we’re so richly blessed with. We’re also very grateful for this great country in which we live and it is for that country and it’s leadership that we pray for. Now. We pray that you will be with our president, that you will grant him a speedy and complete recovery from the coronavirus we ask that you be with those also have our number that are at least infected and quarantined from this disease. As we look about us, we want you to have our sincere belief that we are a blessed people and we pray for unity within our country. That we, once again, can speak with one voice under God. As we go through the further exercise of this service, we pray that our worship to you will be in spirit and truth and a sweet savor. So in Jesus name, we pray amen. Our song before the Lord supper this morning, it’s going to be song number three, one five, 315 one more time. Ah, ah. TRIBE I just say then that or a nice all the man things that me. It was a nice breath. A nice so and me so like I am dad to so Didi mans. My saw my As we protected the Lord suffer this morning, we would like to reflect on a few scriptures and we’ll read those before we have the bread and the fruit of the vine and acts chapter 20 in verse seven, it says in the phone the first day of the week after that, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them ready to part on the Morrow. And he continued to speech until midnight. And if we turn over to second, first Corinthians chapter 11, we’ll read verses 23 and 24 for I ever seed of the Lord, that which I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when they had given thanks, he break it and said, take eat. This is my body that is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. Let’s pray there. God, our father in heaven, we truly are so grateful for the privilege that we have this day to come and remember our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. We’re so thankful father that you demonstrated your love for us. And he was willing to give his life upon the cross that we might have that hope if eternal life within heaven, fathers, we partake of this bread, which is representative of his body. We pray we might do so in a manner that would be acceptable unto thee and Jesus. We pray, amen. Will continue reading from that same opening verses 25 through 27. And after the same manner as he took the cup, when he gets up saying this cup is the new Testament in my blood, this do ye as often as she drank it and remembered some me, whereas often as she eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death. Did he come wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord. Unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Let us pray. Oh God, our father in heaven. It’s such a blessing and a opportunity for us to be able to come here and remember our Lord and savior to remember him suffering upon the cross and bleeding and dying for us, bearing our sins upon the cross. We probably fathers, we protect of this fruit of the vine, which represents his blood, that we remember him. And we give him the honor and the glory and the praise or the death that he suffered for us and Jesus. We pray amen. As another act of worship, we have the opportunity to unity, to give as we’ve been prospered and we’ll look at second Corinthians chapter nine, verses six through nine, we might contemplate our giving, but this I say he was so aspiring and he shall also reap sparingly. And he, that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully every man, according as he purposed in his heart. So let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God. Loveth a cheerful giver and God is able to make all grace abound toward you. That he always have all sufficiency. And all things may abound to every good work had is this written, he, that dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor, his righteousness remaineth forever. Let us pray there. God, our father in heaven, we are grateful for all the blessings that you’ve given to us. And we pray father that we’re good stewards of those blessings. And we have this opportunity today to give a portion of that back to you that we might further the cause not only here in Collierville, but throughout the world, to be able to reach those that are lost and to be able to be helpful to those that are needing some help in a benevolent way. We pray that we’ll always remember that all these blessings come from the, and that we’re to the happy about being able to give as we’ve been prospered. And that you’ve blessed us so much. And we’re grateful for it. Bless our offering this day. And we pray that we might be used in a way that would be acceptable onto you and Jesus. We pray. Amen. If you would like to Mark it in your hymnals, the invitation song this morning will be some number 660 to 662 Before the sermon this morning, though, we will stand and sing song number 991 nine nine one. Again, please stay we’re out me rings the NA Dan, have me again, Please be seated again. The invitation sound will be Simon number 662 Check. There we go. Can you hear me all right, bear. Glad to be with you today. Although I do lament the pain that a brother Aaron is in, do appreciate the work that he does and helps in so many ways at the school at times when we’ve needed technological help. And I appreciate that, but we’re, we’re grateful the chance to be together. I want to take you back 50 years ago today. It was October the fourth, 1970, a young girl in Bible class listens to the message. And then during the worship service responds to the invitation and is baptized that very morning, 50 years ago. Today, later that afternoon, a young boy that was in that same class approaches his father and wonders whether he might need to be baptized as well. And after a long conversation that young boy, 50 years ago to the day was baptized at the night Arnold church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. And that young boy was me 50 years ago today I was baptized. It just so happened that a few years ago, one of the secretaries at the church was going through some material and came across a response card that was filled out on October 4th, 1970, in which I wrote these words because I want to have my sins washed away and serve God. That is what I wrote down is my desire 50 years ago. And it has not changed. I got to thinking about the opportunity to preach today, and I thought there’s nothing I could think of wanting to preach about more than how this subject that was on my mind so much. All those years ago is still on my mind today and how the message has not changed. The message has not changed in the last 50 years. Any information that I was given on that day about what I should and should not do with reference to the subject of baptism came from the same inspired message that I’m using to preach about it this morning. The message has not changed. Surely the world around us has think about what the world was like in 1,970. It’s definitely a different world now in so many ways than it was then, but some things have not changed. And one thing that I’m so grateful has not changed is this book right here, whatever the message was on the subject of baptism 50 years ago is the same message that is in place today. As a matter of fact, go way back beyond 50 years ago and go all the way back to the new Testament. And you’ll find that the same teaching Jesus and the apostles gave about baptism then is the same message that needs to be governing our world today. Nothing has changed as far as the authority of God’s word is concerned. And so I want you to go back and consider with me the message of baptism as taught by scripture. And the first thing I’d like to notice with you is that the motivation for baptism is the same today as it was when the teaching of our Lord was first given, why is it that one would want to be baptized? Now I would first direct your attention to Matthew chapter three. And there comes a man by the name of John, the baptizer, and he is preaching about a coming kingdom and a coming Christ that he is blazing the trail for who will establish that kingdom. And in Matthew chapter three, you’ll notice that in verse number two, he says repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And then we read in verse number six, those individuals from the areas all around Judea and Jerusalem and all around about the Jordan came and were baptized of him. And Jordan notice confessing their sins. Some people are not aware of the fact that even though John’s baptism was a baptism, which anticipated an acceptance of the Christ and his kingdom, according to Mark chapter one in verse four, the baptism of John notice was for the remission of sins, meaning that those who were commanded to be baptized with the baptism of John were commanded to do so for the motivation of having their sins remitted. It’s interesting to know that the message of baptism today is skewed by so many. Some have suggested that the motivation for baptism is not to remit your sins, but to acknowledge that they’ve already been remitted by same some fabled sinner’s prayer. I want to lovingly say this dear friends, but I would like to ask you to find the place in the word of God, for me, where you ever find anyone ever been told to say a prayer and to ask Jesus, to come into their hearts, to make him the Lord of their life and the savior of their soul. I really want to see that some years ago, I was at a Sonic drive in during the afternoon hours of two to four, when the drinks are half price and the ice is so good. And you know what I’m talking about, if you enjoy that kind of drink on a hot day or just about any day. And so here I was in my car waiting for my order to be brought. And I noticed the lady get out of her car and she was going car to car, passing out some literature or trying to sell something. I waited till she got to my car, of course, to see what was going on. And then she handed me a little four page tract. It was small. The front page only said three words on it. God loves you. And certainly that’s a wonderful statement. Turn the page. And the second page only had one thing on it. It was John three 16 for God. So loved the world that he gave. His only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And I love that verse. And so certainly I have no objection to John three 16 being printed and broadcast anywhere in the world. Page three was of interest. Page three of that little track said, if you believe the verse on the opposite page, say the following prayer and ask Jesus to come into your heart, make him the Lord of your life and the savior of your soul, and then gave you a script to pray to say those very words. And then it said, if you just prayed this prayer, congratulations, welcome to the family of God. And then you turned and the last page says, now go tell others. And when the woman handed it to me and I glanced over it rather quickly, I said, ma’am, I would like to give you a compliment, commend you for something. And I don’t think she was expecting that. I don’t think she’d received a whole lot of warmth from the other automobiles or the drivers of those automobiles. But I said, I want to tell you that I am impressed that you have the courage to go car to car, telling people that God and Jesus loved them. That is so true. And I’m glad the world knows that. Want the world to know that I love this verse you have on page two, God. So loved John three 16 is one of my favorite verses. My question for you is really about your third page here. Can you help me with this? I see the, the instructions given here to say this prayer. And they asked Jesus to come into my heart and make him the Lord of my life and the savior of my soul. But what I don’t see on your third page is some scriptures to show where people ever did that. Could you help me with that? I have a new Testament with me and I would, I would be greatly benefited. If you could show me where individuals in the new Testament ever did, what this page is telling people to do. And she said, well, it’s, it’s so many different places. I wouldn’t know where to begin. And I said, even one would be okay. Could you just show me one instance where anyone was ever told to say this prayer and that’s Jesus to come into their hearts? And she said, well, what do you think about it? And I lovingly said, and our whole conversation was cordial. By the way I lovingly said to her, I said, ma’am, I wouldn’t want to stake your eternal salvation or mine on what I think. I think we would both agree that what the Lord taught is, is what’s going to really be the standard of judgment. And so Matt tell you what the Lord said about this. And she acknowledged that she was okay with that. And so I started, I started not with baptism because Jesus did not start with baptism. Jesus started with the concept of believing in who he is. He said, except you believe that I am key, shall die in your sins. John eight 24 and friends. Let me tell you something today. If someone is dunked in this body of water, any body of water and it is not them is not because they believe Jesus Christ is the son of God. If they do not believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, we are doing nothing, but getting them wet. We’re not washing any sins away by magic water. So Jesus said, except you believe that I am you’ll die in your sins, John eight 24. And I remember he asked whom do men say that I, the son of man, em, and they said, well, some think you’re John the Baptist. Some think you’re Jeremiah or one of the prophets, but whom say, ye, that I am. Who, who do you say that I am? Peter said, thou art, the Christ, the son of the living God. And that is the recognition that the people on Pentecost came to grips with when they suddenly realized, Hey, wait a minute. We killed the son of God. Peter had just preached along with the other apostles, a sermon in which he exalted Christ and said you with wicked and lawless hands have crucified and slain the very son of God, but God raised him up. And the same Jesus that you crucified has now been made both Lord and Christ Christos. The anointed one acts two 36. Now when they heard this acts two 37, they were pricked in their hearts and said, men and brethren, what shall we do? Stop? Did the apostle Peter respond to their, what shall we do? Question with the following. I want every head bowed. I want all eyes closed and every head bowed. I want all of you here on Pentecost to now say a prayer, say the following prayer with me. Lord Jesus. Come into my heart, save my soul, wash my sins away by your blood and become the Lord of my life. Amen. Is that what you read in acts two 38? Yes or no. Did you read that? No. What do you read? Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, the motivation for baptism has not changed over the years. It was from the get go for the remission of sins. Someone says, well, that means because your sins have already been forgiven and they’ll use the illustration. They’ll say I went to the store and bought some chapstick for my chapped lips. And when I say for my chap lips, I didn’t buy chapstick in order to get chapped lips. I bought chapstick because I already had chapped lips and the chap stick was supposed to help me with that. The problem with this illustration is twofold in the identical language that Jesus used in Matthew 26, 28. You’ll find the same exact language in acts two 38 and Matthew 26, 28 is very significant in this regard. Notice Jesus Christ on this occasion says the following. He says in Matthew 26, 28, this is my blood of the new Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sin. Stop Jesus. Are you saying that you shed your blood in order that people might have remission of sins or because they already do? Jesus did not bleed because men had already been saved. He bled so that they could be. And the Greek word that’s used here that is translated for has a meaning. That means to reach him unreached end. And Jesus said, I’m shedding my blood so that men might reach the unreached end of having their sins washed away once. And for all, remember even the transgressions that were under the first Testament were blood blotted out and cleansed by the blood of Christ, according to Hebrews chapter nine, 15 and following. And so the blood of Christ is necessary to wash your sins away. What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus. I wrote 50 years ago tonight because I want to have my sins washed away. Do you remember a man by the name of Saul of Tarsus who saw the Lord of the road to Damascus and as he was going toward Damascus with a full intention of persecuted, even more believers in Christ, he’s now suddenly confronted with the, the Christ is talking to him. He says, in acts nine, six, Lord, what will they’ll have me to do? And acts nine sixties told arise and go into the city and watch this, please. There, it shall be told the what thou must do. Saul of Tarsus is told you go into the city and that’s where you’re going to be told what you must do. So let’s see about this. If you’ll go with me to acts chapter nine, I want to show you something here that you may or may not have thought of. Do you know that when God called the preacher and, and I asked to go preach to Saul of Tarsus and tell him what to do, do you know what he told? Anne and I saw was already doing in acts chapter nine. Look at verse number 10. There was a certain disciple at the maskus named Dan and nice. And to him said the Lord in a vision and NIS. And he said, behold, I’m here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him arise and go into the street, which is called straight and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he prayeth. And the ETH in the King James version here is indicative of the fact that he was in a continual state of prayer. Now just reason with me a little bit, here’s a man who now knows that Jesus Christ is the son of God. And he’s waiting in the city to be told what he must do. What’s he doing in the meantime, praying? What do you suppose he was praying? Did he feel any guilt for having done what he’d done to those who followed Christ? Did he feel any guilt for having rejected? The Christ whom he now knows is indeed the son of God. I guarantee you that he was beside himself because he couldn’t eat or drink for three days. He was blind. He was not eating. He was not in a state of happiness and joy. He wasn’t rejoicing in his new found salvation. In fact, Paul would write it this way in Romans five one, therefore being justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord. Jesus Christ. Question. What Saul at peace when he wasn’t eating or drinking, was he at peace when he was praying prior to the preacher, getting to his house, had he found peace in prayer? No, he had not. Now, if prayer is the way to invite Jesus into your heart and make him the Lord of your life, here’s a perfect opportunity. In fact, I would say you couldn’t find a better opportunity for a gospel preacher to teach the sinner’s prayer than an occasion where the man’s already in prayer when the preacher gets there. But if you’ll turn to acts chapter 22, you’ll notice that when Anna knives, the preacher gets to the praying man soul, would you notice in verse 16? He says, and now why Terry is thou acts 2216. And now why Terry is thou repeat after me, Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I’ll make, is that what you read in acts 2216, which you read in acts 2216? Is that an inspired preacher tells a praying man. And now what are you waiting for? Get up arise and be baptized and wash away their sins. Calling on the name of the Lord. I want to have my sins washed away, but I had been taught revelation chapter one in verse five. I want you to see revelation one five, because no one is teaching that water has magical mystical powers to wash sins away in and of itself because it’s some how Holy no, it is the connecting place where God’s power does. What only God’s power can do. But in revelation, chapter one, you’ll notice verse five. It mentions Jesus Christ. Yes. That’s where my focus is. If it’s not for Christ, I have no hope of salvation. And then the last part of verse five of revelation, one unto him that loved us. God. So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Yes, indeed, Jesus Christ and washed us from our sins. How in his own blood, this is my blood of the new Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins. Jesus says your blood is going to wash sins away. Jesus. Yes, that’s why I’m shedding it so that men might have their sins remitted or washed away. And so 50 years ago, an opportunity is granted to have my sins washed away, but that was available to me 50 years ago because of something that happened thousands of years ago in the area surrounding Jerusalem, where a Virgin conceived and brought forth a son and called his name Jesus. And he, he lived a sinless life. He died as a perfect sacrifice. See a Rose on the third day, he ascended into heaven and there then on the day of Pentecost from that day forward, men started accessing the benefits of his blood in ways that were official. And so moving now, I know that this may not be the exact anniversary of the day that you were baptized, but I would guarantee some of you in here today are thinking back to the day that you were baptized. And you think about it with me for just a moment. How did it feel when you came up out of that watery grave of baptism, having confessed Jesus Christ, to be the son of God, having made the decision you would repent having indeed believed Jesus Christ was the son of God that led you to make those other decisions. You now are buried just for an instant with your Lord in baptism. You come up just an instant later and you leave the old man of sin behind Romans chapter six, and you are now clean and you feel lighter than air. And you’ve been added to the church that Jesus bought with his own blood. Can you think back to that moment in your life, how much does it mean to you all these years later, that woman at the drive through, I told you about it, the Sonic stall, I started showing her some of the very same things I’ve been talking to you about these last few minutes. And before I could go to the last step, I talked about the need to first believe Jesus Christ is the son of God. After hearing faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God, Romans 10, 17, I started showing her the necessity of belief and without faith, it’s impossible to please God. And if you don’t believe he’s the Christ you’ll die in your sins. I started showing all men everywhere, been commanded to repent acts 17 and verse 30 confession is made with the mouth on to salvation, Romans 10, nine, and 10. And before I could even get the words out, she said this, she said, wait, just a minute. You’re taking me to water baptism, aren’t you? And I said, well, ma’am so far the only words that I’ve used are words from the Lord himself and inspired apostles. And those words have taken us this far. Let me just ask you if the words of Jesus would take us as far as water baptism. If the words of Christ would take us that far, shouldn’t we be willing to follow the, his words that far. And she acknowledged. Yes. And I said, well, Jesus said this. He that believe with, and this baptized shall be saved. He, that believeth not shall be damned March 16, 16. And she said, but wait a minute, sir, respectfully, there is not a drop of water in John three 16, John three 16, doesn’t have a drop of water in it. She said, and I said, ma’am respectfully. It doesn’t have to because John three and verse five, which comes before it is already soaking wet. And I could tell that this intrigued her. You remember what Jesus said in John three, five before he ever got to verse 16, he said, except a man be born of what water and of the spirit. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus had told Nicodemus, you have to be born again to see the kingdom of God. And the Kadima says, well, how can a man be born when he’s old? What does he go into his mother’s womb a second time? And, and then be, but what do you mean born again? Jesus then clarifies except a man be born of water and of the spirit. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. I want to tell you the true story that happened in Knoxville, Tennessee involving a 92 year old man named pop Collins. He’s reading his Bible, his large print Bible, as he did every day. It just so happened that his reading on this particular day fell to John three. And he’s reading of how Nicodemus has this conversation with the Lord. And then he reads verse five. But this time it stops him in his tracks except a man be born of water and of the spirit. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God and pop starts lingering over this. And he starts thinking, I need to figure this out because if I haven’t done this, I cannot enter the kingdom of God. And I want to enter the kingdom of God. So I’d better make sure I’ve been born of water into the spirit. So I don’t miss out. And he starts just thinking it through. Okay. I know that a man has to be born of water and of the spirit, or he cannot wait a minute. Where was I reading? Just the other day. He was remembering where he’d read acts eight, where the Ethiopian nobleman had been to Jerusalem to worship. And now was headed back to Ethiopia, hundreds of miles away. And yet, even though he’s been to worship, he still reading Isaiah, the prophet in his chariot, that was not a regular occurrence for people to have a copy of God’s word hand that he and their chariots back then. So this man was of some means and he was using it to the best of his ability to learn the word. And so here he’s reading and Phillip runs up and joins him, gets in the cherry. It begins at the same scripture, preaches unto him Jesus. And after having preached the message of the Holy spirit to this Ethiopian nobleman acts chapter eight 36 says, as they went on their way, they came into a certain w a T E R water. And the eunuch said, see, here is water. What does hinder me to be baptized? Now, may I point out to you friends that in acts eight after hearing Jesus preached, you do not read the following. You don’t read as they went on their way. The Unix said to Philip, you know that sinner’s prayer you were talking about just a minute ago. Would this be a good time for you to lead me in that or teach me how to say that? Is that what you read in acts chapter eight? No, instead you read this as they went on their way, they came to a certain water. And even though there’s not a word said about baptism in verse 35 or any verse leading up to this explicitly here is the unique wanting to be baptized, but he’d heard Jesus preach. Well, yes, you preach Jesus. You’re going to preach his death. You’re going to preach this barrier. You’re going to preach this resurrection. And sure enough, having preached the death, the burial and the resurrection of Christ, the uniq understands that he needs to die to the practice of sin. Be buried with his Lord and a water, a grave of baptism and rise to walk in newness of life. Otherwise he would have had no interest and I’ll guarantee you if baptism had not been the proper response to that sermon, Philip would have said, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. I think you’ve misunderstood something, sir. Where did you ever get the wrong headed idea? That water baptism is the way you respond to hearing Jesus preached. No, it’s not acts two. When Jesus was preached, what was the response? Water baptism act sate. You can trace it through the book of acts. And so here you see here is water. What does hinder me to be baptized? They both went down into the water, came up out of the water. They went on their way, rejoicing. He went on his way. Rejoicing in particular, the unit did. Now question pop Collins is reading this John three, five passage days after he’d read the passage and just mentioned in acts eight about a man who heard the message of the spirit and wanted to be baptized in water. And pop said, that’s got to be with this as talking about. So he called his preacher on the phone. He said, I want you to pick me up and take me down to the church building and baptized me so that I can enter the kingdom of God. That was his motivation. He wanted to enter the kingdom of God. His preacher said, pop, what are you talking about? You came to our revival years ago and you got down to the mourner’s bench and you asked Jesus to come into your heart. And you know that, that took care of that. Then you don’t need to be, have to be baptized. You’ve already been saved and you’re 92. And I’m not about to get you soaking wet and get you catching pneumonia and die. And then your family blames me for it. And no, I will not baptize you pop pleaded with him. But this verse says, if I don’t, if I’m not born of water to the spirit, I cannot enter the kingdom of God. His preacher said pop that is talking about how a woman, when she’s very close to her delivery time will her water will break. And then she’ll have the baby pop was 92, but he’s sharp as attack. He says, you’re telling me that this borne of water is about a woman about to give birth to a baby. That’s right. Pop says, this says, except a man be born. This isn’t talking about an infant being born. And are I read the other day about this man that just heard Jesus preached? And he pointed and said, see, here is water. Was that man pointing to a woman about to give birth to a baby? No. Well, what was he pointing at? Well, he was pointed at actual water. Well then that’s the kind of, I want to get in. Will you pick me? He wouldn’t do it. He would not take so pop got out the yellow pages. He starts going down the listings, calling churches. Guess what? Every single church he called, wanted to do with him over the phone, rather than come pick him up and take him to their church building and baptize him. Can you guess what everyone wanted to do over the phone with him? Why don’t you just bow your head and we’ll say a little prayer and we’ll take care of it that way. He said, no, I thought that took care of it years ago, but I didn’t know. This verse was in the Bible then. So he got desperate. He called Baptist hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. I would like for you to picture your on the switchboard that day and you answer Baptist hospital. How may I direct your call and the voice on the other end says, yeah. Could you connect me with the baptismal department please? I’m sorry. What? Oh yeah. Could you connect me with your baptizing department, sir? You do know you call the hospital, right? Well, yes, but because of the name of your hospital, I thought you might have someone there that could perform baptisms upon request and I’m requesting it. I just read in my Bible that Jesus said, except a man be born of water and of the spirit. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. I want to enter the kingdom of God and I can’t find anyone to help me do it. I think perhaps it was Providence that just at the time he placed this call, the woman on the switchboard, a member of the young high church of Christ in Knoxville, Tennessee now known the South Knoxville church of Christ. She said, sir, you’re wanting to be baptized. Yes. Where do you live? She called her local preacher. Her local preacher went out to meet with pop. They took pop and taught him indeed the church that he was entering upon his obedience. And they took him and put him on a stretcher. I met Papa after he was baptized and never knew him before that. He told me this story that I’m telling you, his arms were about as big around as a broomstick handle. And that’s not much of an exaggeration. He was a feeble frail man, but they put him on a stretcher after taking this confession that he believed Jesus Christ was the son of God. And they dipped him quickly beneath that watery grave. And they brought him back up and pop Collins went on his way. Rejoicing because his sins had been washed away. He was now in the church of Jesus Christ. I don’t know how many years ago your baptism might’ve been, or if you are here today, for all I know needing to be baptized, I don’t know the entire makeup of the audience to whom I’m speaking. And I don’t know about those watching and what your needs may or may not be with reference to this matter. I can tell you this, the message has not changed in the 50 years since October 4th, 1970, the mode or manner has not changed this idea that yeah, it used to be by immersion, but now it’s okay. If you just decide to sprinkle poor. No, the Bible says in John three 23, John shows a certain spot because there was much water there. John three 23, you don’t need much water to poor. You don’t need much water to sprinkle in. The Greek word for sprinkle is ran teat. So you’ll never find it once with reference to baptism. The Greek word for pouring is a Greek word, K O C H E L, with a hard C H you don’t ever find a form of that word used with reference to baptism, signifying a pouring of water upon the head. What you see is that teeth. So to dip, to plunge, to immerse, it’s like a garment that’s being dyed. It’s completely submerged and then removed from the solution. You and I are completely submerged in water. We come forth and we’re cleaned. We’ve been made brand new by the blood of Jesus Christ that has washed our sins away. And that message hasn’t changed. The motivation hasn’t changed the manner or mode hasn’t changed and our mission to get others to do that has not changed either. Dear friends, I am spending my life to the best of my ability to try to get folks to do what I did 50 years ago And what others Did long before I ever did. Now baptism’s not the end. It’s the beginning and are close with Romans chapter six. I’d like for you to go there with me and, and notice with me this wonderful text in Romans chapter six, the Bible says that indeed, verse number four, we are buried with him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the father, even. So we also should walk in newness of life. I remember I’m sure you do coming up and feeling like bran, who no sin, no stain. I’m right with God. And then what I keep on trying to record myself to be dead under sin verse 11 and I don’t verse 12, let sin reign in my mortal body and obey them. The lesser of I don’t yield. Once again, my members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, verse 13, no I’ve obeyed from the heart. That form of doctrine delivered and being made free from sin. I become the servants of righteousness. In fact, because I want to have my sins washed away and serve God, that’s the component. I don’t just hand God this card on the day of judgment and say, this should get me where I want to be. Have I served God since the day I became his, have you? I hope that you have, and maybe there’s someone listening or someone here today that says, this is the day I need to begin my walk with Christ. Preached the gospel made it in Elizabethton Tennessee years ago. And there was the young lady that when the invitation song was sung, I’d never had anyone respond so quickly in any church service I’d ever been in where I’d preached as this woman did. She was young in her twenties. And I mean, as soon as the invitation song was sung, she was booking it down. She was booking it down the aisle. In fact, she just went straight for the door that led back to the baptistry. She knew where it was. The preacher got there just before she opened that door, ask her a quick question. She made one quick sentence to him and she kept going. And essentially she told him I’m not waiting another second to put on my Lord in baptism. And that day there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. As we watched her connect with the blood of Christ and have the blood of Christ, wash your sins away and add her to his church. I hope indeed. I have not been around that church in year since then. I hope indeed she’s remained faithful. I know there are some folks in scripture who did and some who did not. And that is why I know some are concerned about this pandemic and its impact longterm on the faithfulness of Christians, will some individuals fall away and never return will. I don’t know. Yes. I’m sure that the world is, if it stands, we’ll continue to have folks who, who leave their first love, but I’ll tell you this. There are others who are going to come to their first love for the first time and realize, you know what? I’m mortal. I’m not going to live forever in this human body, but I’m going to live forever somewhere. And I want it to be heaven. So I’m coming today and I want to be a Christian by hearing, believing repenting, confessing, and being baptized for the remission of sins. I’m doing that right now. Maybe you’re here today and you’re already a child of God, but not living like interacting like it. This second law pardon was offered to Simon. The sorcerer, after he was baptized, he believed he was baptized. Therefore he was saved. And then a few verses later he’s told repent that his wickedness might be forgiven. That’s the way you get things right after you’ve been scripturally baptized, then you pray and repent. So I’m asking today, I don’t know what your situation is. The invitation song is about to be sung and wouldn’t it be sweet? Who knows how this would work, but wouldn’t it be sweet if someday somewhere there is someone 50 years from this day of the Lord lingers that long who says in the year 2070, I remember October the fourth, 20, 20 that’s the day I was baptized 50 years ago to wash my sins away and to begin serving God. We’d love to see that happen today. As together we stand in saying, won’t you please come to Jesus the Oh, please be seated. We’re so grateful. Everybody’s been with us today. Today in closing, we would like to sing the song number five 78, 578. And then we’ll have our closing prayer. We will ratify the King of Kings. We will glorify the lamb, the Lord of Lords. we will worship him in righteousness. We will worship ham alone. He is Lloyd off hap and Lord over. He is Lord of a. He has Lord, I you never up you him. We yeah, yeah. To the King of Kings ha man. Yeah. To the ah, man. Yeah. To the Lord of Lords, who is the gray? I am Oh, spray a father who art in heaven. When he thanked me for this beautiful first day of the week and the opportunity we’ve had to come together as your children to sing these songs of praise and today, and to study that word, we pray that the things that we have learned here today will help us to become strong Christians and to be better servants in that kingdom. I pray that you’d be with those that have been mentioned today that are unable to be with us because of illness. We pray that you would be with them and comfort them. We thank Dee for the technology that we have this day and time that we can go into the homes or those that are more vulnerable to the virus. And that pay may be with us in spirit. We pray that you would be with the school of preaching in brother Clark, as he labors over there, that they can produce more young men that are willing to work. And I came to him to do serve thee. We pray that you would be, keep us safe and bring us back in the next opponent time. Forgive us the rest, sand and crash. Now we pray. Amen.

Class

JUDE – Jude
Contend for the Faith  

1. Jude said that the faith was once for all delivered to ______. Jude 3  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Not an example of the eternally lost included by Jude is (a) nonbelievers led out of Egypt, (b) unfaithful angels, (c) the Philistines, or (d) inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude 5-7  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ________ was used as an example of being courteous in his defense. Jude 5-10
   How should Christians treat false teachers? Jude 9, 22   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Jude did not compare the false teachers of his time to (a) Absalom, (b) Cain,
   (c) Balaam, or (d) Korah. Jude 11 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What did the false teachers say about Jesus?
   Describe these characteristics of the false teachers: (a) immoral, (b) unreasoning animals, (c) hypocrites, (d) murmurers and complainers, (e) respecter of persons, and (f) divisive. Jude 4, 12, 16, 19  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Describe the talk of false teachers.
   Who caused divisions? Jude 16-19
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Who is the only one who can keep Christians from stumbling? Jude 24  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> good morning. We are in the book of Jude. We’re going to cover the entire book in one class. I hope just Throw that caveat there on the end. I hope. I think we’ll get it done. It’s good to see everybody out in this morning. Uh, good to have our visitors with us and we appreciate their presence.

We appreciate each and every one of you being out and, uh, man, we’re just having a gorgeous day. Aren’t we? We could just, if we could have had this all summer long, I’d have been fine, but I’m from the North, so I’ll get over it. Alright. Let’s uh, begin with a word of prayer and then we’ll start our class gracious father in heaven.

We bound before your throne at this time, grateful for the day that you’ve grained into us, the life and the energy and the blessings that we have to be able to assemble together, to be able to study your word, to be able to reflect on what it is that you have revealed to us in scripture, that we might know how to live and how to be,

uh, doing things that are acceptable to you. We pray that as we go through this period of study, the things that we learn and the things that we read, we might apply them to our hearts and our minds. We might grow closer to you in faith and a knowledge and an understanding. We also pray for our country. We pray for its leadership and the leadership of every country throughout the world.

May they make choices that promote good? May they make choices that bring forth righteousness among nations, and may they make choices that provide opportunities to teach those in the world, your gospel, and be able to bring them the truth. We pray that you’d be with those who are traveling. Those who are dealing with difficulties, we pray for all those who are in need in one form or another,

that you will be with them and that they will seek your comfort and your mercy, your grace, but also your will. And they might live in accordance with that. Will we ask that you forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory and help us to always have a mind willing to repent when we do that, which is wrong, we pray most especially.

And thank you most, especially for your son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, without whom we would have no hope. All this. We pray in Jesus name and men, Jude, a bond servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. This letter begins with Jude introducing himself. We’ve mentioned many times throughout our studies. One of the reasons why the writer’s name comes first,

and that is primarily because you were dealing with scrolls and in the day and time where you dealt with scrolls it’s you began on scrolling it as you were reading it. And the first thing you wanted to know is who did it come from? Well, so they would put their name first, generally speaking. And so Jude begins by identifying himself as the bond servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of whom James likelihood is based upon what we know from history and,

and the traditions that have been passed down throughout time, that this is most likely Jude, the half brother of Jesus, the brother of James, who was an elder and the author of the book of James. We identify this as most likely being that James, simply because James, the apostle wasn’t alive at this point, what happened to James? The apostle,

the brother of John. He was beheaded by Herod back in acts chapter 12. So James James, the apostle is no longer around the likelihood is this is the same James that is spoken of in the book of Galatians. The same James that is spoken up in acts chapter 15, who was one of the elders in the church at Jerusalem, who was by all indications of scripture,

the half brother of Jesus. And we bring that forward and we bring that to, to our minds to remind us that James and Jude, another half brother of Jesus, neither one of them were those who were following Jesus when he was on this earth, what do we read? Just a few of the details concerning the brothers and the sisters of Jesus.

Give me one example. There was a feast going on and his brothers came and said, what to him. You remember? No, that’s, that’s in John three. This is later on in the book of John, his brothers come to him and there’s, there’s a feast going on in Jerusalem. And he’s still with them in Nazareth. And they say,

well, why don’t, if you are who you claim, you are go up to the feast and show yourself to the people, declare yourself, be like a prophet and go prophesied because the people are all in Jerusalem. So they’re encouraging him, but somewhat in a mocking sense, if you are who you claim, you are, then go declare yourself before the people.

But we also realize, as we read through the book of acts, that those, there were many of those who, who he was before his death and realized who he was after his resurrection. And it seems to be that his half-brothers were those who were in that group now, who was a contrast among his physical family, who was a contrast to that?

Well, among, among his physical family, his mother, because you re you read there at the cross of Mary, you read of Mary among the group of disciples and the 120 disciples in acts, chapter one, you read of her presence all the way through. So it’s not just, and, and going back to the, the situation in John chapter three,

I think it is, uh, the wedding. Uh, that’s not John three. What is what John three is Nicodemus. Uh, anyway, uh, Mary comes to Jesus and says, w they’re they’re out of wine. And, and he says, my time is not yet. She knows what he’s talking about, John too. Okay. That was chapter off.

Um, so you’ve got a contrast here. Their mother understood, but their mother had been spoken to by whom an angel there, their mother knew what happened and convinced. I mean, I don’t know if any of y’all have ever had this experience with your children, but you know, where you tell them this is what happened and they don’t believe you.

I know no parents have ever gone through that. But, uh, you know, this is, this is the situation they didn’t understand. They didn’t believe who he was until he was resurrected. And that changed everything because now, I mean, they grew up in a nation that had profits. That’s one thing, but believing he’s a prophet can versus believing.

He’s the Messiah. Two very different things. And they came to realize that he was the Messiah. Okay? Now he calls himself a bond servant of Jesus. And the brother of James said all of that previously to say, this Jude appreciates the difference between his two brothers. Jude appreciates the fact that his brother James, while a great man, while a prophet,

while an elder in the church is not his master, but his half brother Jesus is, he says, I’m a bond servant to one who I fought when I was younger was just my brother. But he says to those who are called sanctified by God, the father, and preserved in Jesus Christ. He identifies Jesus, not only as an individual, but in the same sort of sense that Paul uses it in the book of Ephesians as a location,

you go throughout the book of Ephesians and Paul writes over and over about being in Christ. He talks about being in Christ, being equal with being in the church when you’re part of the body of Christ your in Christ. And so Jude uses this language to say that we are sanctified by God, the father, but we are preserved in Jesus Christ because that is the place where salvation is found.

He says, mercy, peace and love being multiplied to you. He is writing to these Christians. And by the way, that is important. He is writing to Christians. Uh, this is not one of those epistles that’s written for those outside the church. It’s written for those inside the church. And so he’s writing to Christians and he says, mercy,

peace and love being multiplied. He doesn’t want them to just have mercy. He doesn’t want them to just have peace. He doesn’t want them to just have love. He wants them to have all three of those things. And in abundance, how do we get mercy? What is mercy? First and foremost, it’s not getting what we deserve. When you show mercy,

someone deserves judgment. And instead of giving them justice or judgment, they get mercy. Instead, we have another word in the English language that has a similar idea leniency. They didn’t deserve it, but they’re being provided leniency because of some situation, okay? Jude wants these Christians to have mercy. He wants God to multiply on them, not justice because we all sin and fall short of the glory of God,

because we all sin James or John wrote first John chapter one there in the end. He said, if a man says he has no sin, he’s a liar. And yet John writes all of the things that he writes. So he says, I’m writing these things to you. So you do not sin. But if you do see it, and we have an advocate with the father.

So what this mercy involves is this mercy involves the advocacy of Christ on our behalf. John also wrote in first John chapter one verses six and seven, that if we have fellowship with the father and with the son, the blood of Jesus Christ continues to cleanse us from our sins. Not that we’re, sinlessly perfect, but that the blood of Christ cleanses us as we fail as we sin that blood washes away those sins.

So you get mercy because you’re covered in the blood of Christ instead of judgment, because you’re covered in your sins. So he’s praying his, his, his desire for them is that they have mercy multiplied, but not only mercy multiplied, but peace multiplied. He wants them in a relationship with God, such that they are at peace. Not only with God,

but with one another. That again is that same idea that John writes about in first John chapter one, he keep bringing these two together because we’ve just finished. First. John John writes about the fellowship that we have with God, the father with Christ, the son, and as a result of our fellowship with God, the father and Christ, the son,

the fellowship we have with one another. Well, when you’re at peace with God, and when you’re at peace with this with Christ, then you ought to be at peace with one another. And he desires that that peace be multiplied as well. But then love. Love is something we’ve talked about a lot in the last couple of weeks. First, John chapter two first John chapter three first,

John chapter four, all three of those chapters, dealing with love and emphasizing that. When, if we love, God will love one another. If we don’t love one another, we don’t love God. Now God has already done his part in the relationship that we have. God continues to show us love, but God loved us. When we were unlovable.

God loved us before we loved him. That’s why he sent his son to die on the cross forests. Romans chapter five says that God loved us when we were yet sinners. And so we have the love of God presented to us. It’s there. It’s waiting. It’s waiting for us to take advantage of it and to love him in return. But what did John emphasize about?

Love that? If we love God, we’ll do what? Keep his commandments. First, John chapter two, he says my little children, verse one, these things I write to you so that you may not sin, okay? Here’s the objective I’m writing to you. So you don’t sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate, a lawyer,

a representative with the father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, and he himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. Now by this, we know that we know him. If we keep his commandments, he who says, I know him and does not keep his commandments. He is a liar and the truth is not in him,

but whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. And by this, we know that we are in him. So John makes it clear that you don’t get love without obedience. You don’t get love without keeping the commandments of God. And God’s love isn’t perfected in you unless you’re in him. Okay? So Jude is going to write these.

He said all of that. It’s kind of his introductory statement. And now he’s going to address the people he’s writing to. And he addresses them as beloved. Those whom he cares deeply for those whom he loves. He says beloved. While I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith,

which was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude makes it clear. I wanted to write to you about a completely different topic. He even says I was very diligent. He was motivated and, and desirous and putting forth actions to write to them about their common salvation. Now, when he uses the word common here, he doesn’t mean ordinary. He doesn’t mean I want to write to you about this ordinary salvation that we have no,

this common shared salvation. And I think this is interesting because this is one of those times where you see and you see it a few other times in the new Testament where you see the Penman or in other, the apostle who wants to do one thing and God’s not letting him do it. He wants to do one thing, but God says, no,

this is more important. And you and I, we go through this. We look at things that are important. I mean, writing to these brethren about the common salvation, that would be important. We would put that on the list of good things to do, except it’s not what’s most important right then. So Jude is going to write one of the harshest letters in all the new Testament.

He is going to write one of the most, uh, abrupt letters of all the books of the new Testament. But before he does, he wants them to know I wanted to write something else. Instead, I wanted to write to you about our salvation, but instead, going to write to you about contending for the faith, the idea of to contend for something,

what does that mean? To struggle for something to strive for it, to defend something as well. You’re fighting on behalf of something and John, or excuse me, Jude wants these Christians to contend and not just content, but contend how earnestly this is a fight. This is a struggle. This is an action that they have to be vigorous about. He says,

I want you to contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all the original language there carries with it. The force of once for all time delivered. Now Peter would write, and we just studied it a few weeks ago. Peter would write to Christians and say that they had received through the knowledge of Christ, all things that pertain to life and godliness.

That’s a very similar statement to what John Jude writes. I’m going to get off of calling him John in just a minute. What Jude writes here? Jude says the revelation of the gospel, the message from God, the revelation from God has been delivered in its entirety. Now what he doesn’t mean by that is this is the very last letter and the very last word you’ll ever receive from God.

That’s not what he means, but he means that they shouldn’t be looking for any new doctrines. They’re not to be looking for any new revelations and anyone who comes along trying to change. What they have been told is not from God. Go to Galatians chapter one, Galatians chapter one, Paul writes to the church at glacier in verse six, he says,

I Marvel. I Marvel. I am astounded, amazed and cannot comprehend. I Marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than that,

which we have preached to you, let him be a curse. As we have said before. So now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have receive the emphasis there is you have already been delivered. The gospel Jude writes and says it’s been delivered once for all time. Go real quick to Hebrews chapter 10, or excuse me,

Hebrew chapter nine, Hebrews chapter nine beginning in verse 27, verse 28, carries with it a similar idea in the Greek. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment. So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, the idea there in the Greek is once and never again, once for all time,

Christ is not being Resacrifice every week. Christ is not going to have to come and die again, because there was some lacking in what he did the first time he died. Once now in the book of Hebrews, that contrast is with the old Testament sacrifices that every day and every week and every year they were offering sacrifice after sacrifice, after sacrifice for sin,

never being able to be done, never being able to have a sacrifice sufficient as a substitute for their sin. Jude says the gospel very much like the sacrifice of Christ has been delivered and it’s not going to change so much like Paul warns those in Glacia. You’re turning away from the gospel. You received beat, not because the gospel is turning, the gospel’s not changing and you’re staying straight.

You are departing. So Jude makes it clear when I write this to you. It’s because people are departing it’s because there’s a need to contend and contend earnestly for the faith. But that also means something for us. It means 2000 years later, gospels still hasn’t changed. And anyone who changes the gospel is wrong. And we have a responsibility to contend for the faith,

the same way they did in 80 65. Okay? He says for certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and then nine, the only Lord, God, and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Notice a number of things that these men are doing. Number one,

they’re coming in amongst the Christians. And they’re coming in with the appearance of being Christians, but they’re not. They’re coming in with the appearance of being righteous and godly, but they’re not. How did the new Testament describe the way Satan would appear? He said, as an angel of light, now Peter warns us that he’s a roaring roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

But the reality is when you see the influence of Satan, you don’t generally see it as all evil. You see it as someone who looks really good, but inwardly he’s a servant of Satan. We have to be careful that we don’t just judge a book by its cover or judge a Christian by just what we see on Sunday. Jesus told his apostles as he was preparing to send them out.

And also later on, as he was preparing to leave this earth, he warned them that what they said in the closet would be shouted from the mountain. Tops. That warning is about hypocrisy. That warning is about preaching one thing publicly and saying something different privately. And that’s what these people were doing. They looked like they were saying the right thing,

but in the closet, in private, when they could get somebody away who they thought they could influence, they were teaching something entirely different. Notice what he says. He says they came in unawares, but that they were long ago, marked out for this condemnation. As he gets ready to unload on these people. And he is going to unload on them.

He wants the Christians to know these people stood condemned a long time ago. He’s going to bring forward their condemnation in a type, an antique type situation where he uses examples from the old Testament to bring forward. You already know what they’re going to be condemned for. Okay? This is not Jude saying these people were condemned from birth. These people were condemned before they were ever born.

None of this is not, it’s not always saying what he’s saying is these people are just like those people who God condemned in the past. So I’m going to show you what God did in the past. And you’re going to see the end of these people. So that’s what he means when he says they were condemned a long ago. But then he says,

they turn our grace of the grace of argon into lewdness. Here they are. They’re in there amongst the Christians they’re teaching and they’re taking grace. Now, grace is that unmerited favor. Grace is the love of God and the mercy of God not getting what we deserve, buddy. Instead getting something we don’t deserve. And they’re taking that grace and they’re promoting sin under the guise of grace.

And they’re bringing these Christians who are under their influence into destruction because they’re denying the Lord and they’re denying Christ and teaching them to follow after themselves. He says, verse five. I want to remind you though. You once knew this, that the Lord having saved people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed those who did not believe. Example, number one,

he says, God brought his people out of Egypt, but then when they turned against him, when they did not believe when they were there in the, in, at Mount Sinai. And then when they went into the land of Palestine, they were there at the edge of the promised land and they chose not to go in. They chose to rebel.

They chose to give in to their lust to give in to what they wanted and to turn against God, God destroyed them. So example, number one, God did it with Israel. They started off, right? But they rebelled and they were destroyed. Example number two, and the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode.

We don’t know. We don’t have a lot of information about this, but Jude says this. We know there were angels who did rebel and they as well were brought about their own condemnation. But then he also says he has reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness for the judgment of the great day. You remember when Jesus met the man there in the land of the Gadarenes they’re on the coast.

And he was the one who had a Legion of demons. And the demon said, it’s not our time yet. Have you come before the time to destroy us? There’s something those demons knew about Jesus and knew about their future that had been told to them, but they also knew the time wasn’t yet, right? The time wasn’t when God said it would be.

So again, we don’t know a lot about it, but juke says this. We know, but then he also says verse seven, as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in similar manner to these having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire, three examples. He says Israel,

when they rebelled angels, when they rebelled Sodom and Gomorrah, when they were given an opportunity to repent and they wouldn’t, he says, likewise, also these referencing back to the present time, these dreamers, the file, the flesh, reject a foresty and speak evil of dignitaries. That is those who have a proper leadership position. Okay? He said,

they speak evil of those who were in charge. What it is, what it is real do when they got there to the edge of the promised land. And then they didn’t want to go into the land because they thought they’d be destroyed. What did they do? They wanted to replace who Moses. They said, we’ll kill Moses. And we’ll put someone else in charge and we’ll go back to Egypt.

They spoke evil of the one God had put in that position. Every time something went wrong, there was somebody who said, let’s just get rid of Moses. He’s the problem. Don’t worry. Nobody in our culture does that anymore. Verse nine, yet my goal that now he’s going to set a contrast. He says, here are the dreamers, the ones who defile the flesh,

the ones who reject authority, the ones who speak Eagle, evil of dignitaries. And yet here’s the contrast for them yet, Michael, the Archangel in contending with the devil. So, all right. So, so get the picture in your mind yet. What Jude’s trying to tell you, there was a point in time where here is an angel. Who’s in a literal contention with Satan himself.

And here’s what Michael does yet. Michael, the arching Archangel in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses dare not bring against him a reviling accusation. Now, who would he be? Reviled or bringing a reviling accusation against the devil. And yet there is what, what John or Jude Sam still doing. What Jude is trying to get these Christians to realize is this is something these false teachers would do in a heartbeat,

but an angel from heaven wouldn’t even do it against Satan. He says would not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said the Lord rebuke. You notice the angel placing himself under the authority of God and making sure the devil knows it’s not his words. It’s, God’s making sure the devil knows it’s not his judgment. That, that, that the devil needs to be worried about.

It’s the Lords. He’s setting forth an example of one who acts like a servant instead of one who you search the authority of the master. Okay? So then he says this, but these speak evil of these being a reference to the false teachers he’s is these speak evil of whatever they do not know and whatever they know naturally like brute beasts in these things,

they corrupted woe to them for. They have gone in the way of Cain have run greedily in the error of bailing for profit and perished in the rebellion of Korah three more examples. He gives, he says, Kane, who did what murdered his brother? Because his brother was what more righteous than him And Them who did what for money was willing to prophesize evil against those who were doing good and Cora who did what rebelled against the authority of Moses and Aaron saying,

you’ve taken too much on yourself. We’re just as Holy as you are. So you’ve got anger and murder. You’ve got false prophecy and, and a willingness for prophet to prophesize against those who are righteous and lead them into sin by the way. And then you’ve got rebellion against authority. Three more examples. He offers up saying the condemnation way back there is going to apply to these people too.

But then he goes, he says, these are spots in your love feasts while they feast with you. Without fear serving only themselves, they are cloud without water carried about by the winds late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead pulled up by the roots raging waves of the sea foaming up their own shame. Wandering stars from whom is reserved. The blackness of darkness forever.

He uses a series of analogies here to just get you to picture how value lists these people are. And yet they’re there in the midst of the Christians they’re being treated like brethren, they’re being treated like they’re faithful. They’re there with out fear and Jude’s making it clear. They shouldn’t be, he then says, now Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men.

Also sometimes you’ll see in the new Testament where they say, uh, this person prophesied about this person, thousands of years later, Jesus did that. Matthew chapter 15. He said, Isaiah spoke of you. And he’s talking to the Pharisees. What is true in the, in the sense and how they’re saying this is he said it to someone in his day and yet to them.

And this person is just like that person, the, the Pharisees they’re in Matthew chapter 15, we’re being guilty of all the things Israel was guilty of in Isaiah chapter 28, 29, 30 and 31, which is the context of the prophecy of Isaiah. So they’re guilty of the same thing. Therefore there’s being spoken to by the prophet thousands of years or hundreds of years before and still applicable in that day,

he says, now Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men also saying behold, the Lord comes with 10 thousands of his saints to execute judgment on all to all who were ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have committed in an ungodly way. And of all the harsh things, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. How many times is the word ungodly in that text?

A lot. Jude wants us to get a picture of what God’s view of these false teachers is. Their very definition is on godly. The opposite of godly. That’s these people who are claiming to be Christians and claiming to be teachers, by the way, that should reveal something to us, that all the way back in the first century, there are P there were people then just like,

there are people today who claim to be Christians and claim to be teachers, teaching people about Christ who are only promoting themselves verse 16. These are grumblers, complainer’s walking according to their own lust and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage, but you beloved. All right, he’s going to bring it back. He’s gone through all of this condemnation.

He’s going to bring it back to the Christians who are faithful, but you beloved remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord, Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lust. These are sensual persons who cause the vision and have it not having the spirit,

but you beloved building yourselves up on your most Holy faith, praying in the Holy spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ unto eternal life and some, and on some have compassion, making a distinction. He says, well, wait a minute. There’s going to be some people who are gonna make mistakes.

And they’re going to say the wrong thing, and they’re going to teach the wrong thing and you need to know the difference. There are some, you need to have compassion on because they’re novices and they just don’t know any better yet. Don’t treat them like the false teacher who stands in condemnation, treat them with compassion. He says on some, have compassion,

making a distinction, but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment, the file by the flesh. He says, you’ve got to be able to tell the difference between a Christian who’s unlearned and maybe as brought ideas in with them after, as they’ve become a Christian and as a novice, they’re still thinking in their old ways and they just need teaching.

And you need to know the difference between that type of person and the person who is being swallowed up by sin. And you’ve got a grasp them and wrench them out of the fire or their soul is going to be lost. We need to know when the time is to be a teacher. And when the time is to be a firefighter, we need to know the difference between pulling the cat out of a tree on a ladder and pulling somebody out of a burning building.

Both are in predicaments that they need to not be in, but you handle them differently. And Jude says, we need to know the difference. He says now to him, who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy to God, our savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty,

dominion, and power both now and forever. Amen. There is so much there at the end of June that I would like to spend time on, but we got finished. So, uh, Jube said question one that the faith was once for all delivered to the saints. Number two, not an example of eternally lost, included by John is a non believers or nonbelievers led out of Egypt.

Be unfaithful angels, see the Philistines or D inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. See the Philistines. Jude. Did I do it again while reading it? Wow. All right. Number three. Blank was used as an example of being courteous in his defense. Michael, how should Christians treat false teachers, compassion Or save with fear? Verse 23 also should have been tagged on that verse reference.

Um, Jude did not compare the false teachers of his time to a Absalom B Kane<inaudible> or D Cora. Hey, absolute question five. What did the false teacher say about Jesus? They denied him, describe these characteristics of the false teachers, and we didn’t go into a great deal of depth here, but, um, so we don’t really have a full description to necessarily give here,

but they’re immoral. They’re unreasoning animals, uh, C hypocrites, D murmurs, and complainer’s he respecter of persons F divisive or G all the above. I know we’re supposed to describe them. And sometime when we have time, we’re going to go through and describe them. Um, uh, number six, describe the talk of false teachers. Grumblers and complainer’s who caused divisions,

false teachers, who is the only one who can keep Christians from stumbling, God, our savior. All right, thank you for your attention will be dismissed until the worship hour.<inaudible><inaudible> Again, our service. We are so happy to be here today, and if you’re not able to be here for our Bible class at nine 30, we would certainly invite you to come and be with us for that period of time.

We, uh, Aaron did an excellent job on Jude and, uh, he always does a great job and you you’ll be glad you were here. It’s, it’s an interesting study. Each time we come together and we’re all strengthened by it. I want to welcome our visitors today. And we would ask if you don’t mind to fill out a visitor’s card and you can either drop that in the plate there on the table in the four year or in the back of the congregation are either give it to one of us.

And so we can have a record of you being here. If you did not get your communion, we would encourage you to do that. Now it’s provided there on those two tables on behind the back Pew. Uh, we want to make sure you’re aware of that. We do have a few that we want to remember that are sick of congregation. Joan Springer.

We’ll be having a bronchoscopy this Friday, uh, too. She’s been having some problems with, with something showing up on her lungs. So they’re going to go take a sample and see if they can figure out what her problem is through Dale Wilson, uh, is waiting for results of an echocardiogram. And we want to remember him. And then Dorothy,

Wilson has been diagnosed with high thyroid, uh, and, and she’s been put on some medication for that particular purpose. So keep them in mind. Pam shafing will be having back surgery, this coming, uh, Wednesday. So that’s pretty serious surgery that she’s going to be having. So keep her in your prayers. And then Sylvia pass. We’ll be having a nerve block this coming Friday.

And she said, she’s really looking forward to that. So I talked to her before services and what both of them are real anxious about it. Pam and Sylvia are real anxious about these procedures that are going to be going through. So keep them in your prayers. And we pray that everything will go well for them. Also Janet’s daughter, Janet, I met not Janet Janell is,

is having, uh, she, she has thyroid cancer. She’s in the hospital right now and is not doing well. So we certainly want to remember Janell in our prayers, perhaps others that we didn’t have on our list, but, uh, just look around and say, who’s not here and give them a call and let them know we’re missing them.

And if there’s anything that we can do for them, we’d like to do that. The August, the nationwide gospel meeting flyers are on the table. They’re in the four year. If you have not picked up one of those, and also we want to remind you, the ladies of ladies day at forest Hill is scheduled for August the 20 I’m at September 26th.

And you’re to reply before the end of the week, uh, the 28th, if you’re planning, planning on the 10 that attending that. So keep that in mind, let them know if you’re going to be there for that. I believe that’s all of our announcements. We’re, we’re certainly looking forward to our worship together. Uh, Michael Dale will be directing our song service J Shafir has our opening prayer.

Eric Halvorson will be conducting the Lord’s supper and also Aaron Cozort will be bringing us the message today. And then I will have the closing prayer. Let’s begin. I worship<inaudible> Our first song. This morning will be number 23. Our God, he is alive. Number 20, There is beyond the Azure blue God concealed from humans. He, this guy’s with<inaudible> and frame the words with his grade Maha.

There is a God. There is a God. He is, and him, we live and we survive from the<inaudible>.<inaudible> A long, long time. Ah, Oh, ah, God, here’s voice up profits. He is that God that we should know who speaks from his and spa. There is a God. There is a God. He is<inaudible> and we serve<inaudible>.

He is<inaudible> NA green<inaudible><inaudible> from autumn. Uh, God<inaudible> no, man, may search NAIC and not fun for God.<inaudible> there is a God and, ah, he is a law and him, we live and we survive from the<inaudible><inaudible> He is green<inaudible> Oh God. Who’s son upon a tree. He, uh, was willing there to<inaudible> from sin might said,

man, free and more with there is a God. There is a God. He is<inaudible>. And<inaudible> The song before our opening prayer will be number 837. I need the every hour number eight, three seven. I need the<inaudible> no. And a voice like, ahh,<inaudible> I need the, I need the<inaudible> the<inaudible> uh, to the,

uh, knee, the, uh, uh,<inaudible> uh, ah, I need the, I need the<inaudible> me now my say, uh, um, to the, uh, ni the, uh, very, uh,<inaudible> um,<inaudible><inaudible> the<inaudible> asked me now I say, uh, um, to the, uh, ni the,

uh, very, uh,<inaudible>, uh,<inaudible>, uh, uh, journey, the journey, the<inaudible> the, Oh, uh, it’s me now, my, eh, uh, um, to the Almighty God, our father in heaven. It is where the humble heart we come before your throne, this hour, acknowledging you as our creator,

the creator of this universe and all that entity is we realized father that we are so bounded by the element of time that we have difficulty understanding the concept of infinity and the concept of forever. But is those things that you have instilled within us, that we pray that we will have a deeper understanding. We’re so very grateful that you chose to create us and your image and to provide through your son.

I means of salvation that we may enjoy those concepts one day. We’re so very grateful that your son came to this earth and established the church. We’re so very grateful for the church that meets here at Collierville. We’re so very grateful for Abel pastor, Aaron and Eddie, as they labor here with us from Michael and Jessica is they also labor here. We pray for them a long and fruitful life in your service.

We also are mindful that we do from time to time fail, to keep your concepts. We do not keep your commandments as you would have us to do. We pray for those sins, that as we repent out of them and turn from him, we know that you’re faithful to forgive him, that we may stand whole and pure in your sight. And that you will hear our prayers.

We’re mindful of those that were mentioned in the announcements that are suffering from illnesses. We pray that your healing hands will be upon them, that they will once again, be restored to their much wanted health. We’re also mindful of the turmoil that’s within this country. We pray that unity will, once more rain, the leaders will look to your word for wisdom,

but they will guide us through these troubled times and then peace and order. Once more be restored. There are so many things that we’re so blessed with that we often fail to recognize all of those things, but we are grateful for this great country for the peace and harmony that we do enjoy. And we know all of these blessings come through you. As we go through the further exercise of this worship service,

we pray that our worship do, you will be in spirit and truth and a sweet savor. So in Jesus name that we pray, amen. Song to prepare our minds for the Lord’s supper will be number 383. Jesus. Keep me near the cross three 83. Jesus keyed me.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> uh,<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> and me<inaudible><inaudible> beams.

Uh, um, me<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> um, uh, uh, God Bri<inaudible> me, uh, me walk from day to day.<inaudible> me.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> We’d like to take this opportunity to thank God for the greatest gift he has given Christians. And that is his son. Let’s go to our God and prayer.

God, our father in heaven, we come to you at this time, as we prepare to remember the sacrifice that you and your son Jesus made for us here on earth to thank you for having sent your son here, to live amongst us, to teach us most importantly, to provide us with the written word so that we would have a guide to live and serve you as Christians here on earth,

until that time comes that we can meet you in heaven. As we prepare to take this bread, help each and every one of us to remember what it represents net is his body that he sacrificed for us and for our sins, we pray this through your son, Jesus name, amen God, our father, as we prepare to partake of the fruit of the vine,

help us to understand that it represents the blood that your son, Jesus shed for us so that our sins can be washed away so that we may live as Christians to serve you here on earth. We pray this through your son, Jesus name, amen God, our father, we come to you again, thanking you for everything you do for us. We know that all the material goods that we have are provided from you and through you.

And as we prepare to give back a portion of what you have. So richly blessed us with, we ask that you help each and every one of us do it with a cheerful heart. And we also ask that you help the amount of this congregation put thought into how these funds are used and that these funds should be used to help spread your word to the non-Christians here on earth so that they may have the opportunity that we have.

And that is to live with you one day in eternity, we pray this through your son, Jesus name, amen Song before the lesson will be number 539 higher ground. And if you’re able, let’s stand for this song, please and remain standing for the scripture, reading Number 539. Yeah. I’m pressing on the upward way. New Heights I’m gay.

Hey, Ning every day, still praying as I on word a more plant my feet on<inaudible> Lord, lift me up and let me stay by<inaudible><inaudible> and then I have a plan, my feet on<inaudible>. My heart has no those<inaudible>, uh, uh, my prayer, my, uh, ah,<inaudible> by faith on<inaudible> and then I have,

uh, plant my feet on<inaudible>. I want to live above the no say, ah, let me, uh, for<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> by faith on<inaudible>. Uh, and then I have, uh, plants, my feeds<inaudible> I wan to scan the topmost, uh, and catch a ugly<inaudible>, but a LA<inaudible>, uh, Lord lead me on to<inaudible> to me.

Ah, let me stand by faith on<inaudible>. Uh, uh,<inaudible> uh, uh, uh, Lord plant my feet. Hi, uh,<inaudible> The scripture reading today will be taken from first Timothy chapter four, verses one and two first Timothy chapter four, verses one and two. Now the spirit speak at the expressly that in the later times,

some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience, seared a hot iron, You may be seated good morning. Sometimes people say things to you and you don’t quite get exactly what they mean by it. Until later this morning, Michael said, I know what your topic is, but I can’t figure out how the scripture reading has anything to do with it.

What I didn’t realize is there was a typo in the text message. I sent him for the scripture reading scripture reading was supposed to be second Timothy chapter four, verses one and two second, Timothy chapter four verses one and two. Paul writes to Timothy. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom preach the word,

be ready in season and out of season, convince rebuke exhort with all long suffering and teaching this morning. I want to spend our time in second Timothy chapter four, not because of what Paul writes here about preaching though. We’ll bring that into the discussion, but because of what Paul writes about death, as we go through our lives, we understand that there is coming a day where if the Lord does not return before our lives are over,

we will face death. We have individuals from the youngest of ages to old age here, but the reality is the young aged individuals are not guaranteed a long life. And the older aged individuals are not guaranteed a long life either. We have no guarantees. James writes concerning this life that it is as a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

But the Hebrew writer writes concerning this life and makes it clear to us in Hebrews chapter nine, verse 27, that there is a coming a day for each and every one of us when this life will be over, but he doesn’t end there. He doesn’t end with this life will be over period, stop he ends with. And after that, the judgment something you and I need to keep in the forefront of our minds and in the forefront of our lives is there is something after this life.

And one of the most prominent writers in the new Testament concerning the subject of death was Paul. Paul spoke about death, a number of times in his teaching, in his preaching and in his writing. But second Timothy chapter four is a very unique perspective from Paul because when Paul pens, these words, his death is approaching. When Paul writes the end of this letter to Timothy,

by everything we know from scripture, it is the last letter he will pen. It is the last recorded message through inspiration that we have from Paul and Paul knows his time is short. So when you read second Timothy chapter four, read it in view of death and Paul’s coming death. Paul writes these words. He is in a prison in Rome. He will stand before Caesar based upon the information we have from history,

but he will not live through the experience. His life will end in Rome. The second time he is in prison there. And he writes to this young preacher, this one, who he calls his son in the faith. And he was writing to Timothy throughout the book because Timothy is struggling. He’s struggling with individuals. He’s interacting with who are Christians.

He’s struggling with those who are way worse at not doing what they ought to be doing. He’s struggling in his own life. And Paul writes to him to encourage him, to exhort him, to, to strengthen him. But he also is writing to him to let him know some things He needs to know before this life is over. And so Paul,

after he has reminded Timothy about the things which he learned as a child after he is reminded Timothy about inspiration, and the fact that all these things that are in the scriptures are God-breathed after he’s reminded him, that the man of God can be complete thoroughly furnished unto every good work. He reminds him to preach the word as Paul views, his coming death.

You see what was important to him in this last chapter. And the first thing that we see that was important to Paul in view of death was the preaching of the gospel. Paul writes to Timothy, and he says, I charge you. I give you this commission as a military officer to a subordinate. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ,

who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom preach the word. Paul was concerned, not only with the message that was to be preached, but with Timothy as an individual, preaching that message. He says, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season report, or excuse me, convince rebuke exhort with all long suffering and teaching for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine,

but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry as you. And I think about our lives. Ask yourself a question when your life is coming to an end,

if you live to old age and you see that impending end, think back about your life and ask yourself, will the preaching that you heard have made any difference in your life, the preaching of the gospel, will it be something that you look back on and you say, you know what? Just never really made a whole lot of difference to me.

It wasn’t really that important. It didn’t change me. It didn’t motivate me to do this or that. It just simply didn’t matter. Or will you look back at your life? And will you look back at the preaching and the teaching that you heard in your life? And would you be able to say that is what prepared me for now? The reason that Paul is so forceful in telling Timothy preach the word is because he knows that the gospel is what prepares you for the end of this life.

But he also knew that there would be some among the Christians who wouldn’t view the preaching that they were hearing in view of eternity. They wouldn’t hear the gospel message in view of judgment. They would hear what they wanted to hear. And if the preacher didn’t preach what they wanted to hear, they’d find a preacher who did, when you look back over your life and you look back at the preaching that you’ve heard,

couldn’t you say, can you say in your own mind, I wanted to hear when I was doing it wrong. I wanted to hear the things that were hard. I want to hear the truth, no matter the cost, or you look back at your life and say, I wanted to hear something that made me feel good. I wanted to hear something that as Paul uses the illustration tickled,

my ears felt good going in and didn’t cause a problem. Once it was there, Paul tells Timothy don’t you preach that way. He tells him to be constant in season and out of season when they want to hear it. And when they don’t, but he also said, you watch for yourself, you be watchful in all things and endure do the work of an evangelist,

fulfill your ministry for, I am already being poured out as a drink offering. And the time of my departure is at hand. Paul says, Timothy, you endure afflictions. You go through the hardship. You stay constant in the gospel. You preach the word you be ready because my time is over. I’m already being poured out. He says the idea of a drink offering here goes back to the old Testament.

It goes back to those offerings that were made there at the tabernacle. Under the old Testament law, there were offerings that were made that were lambs. There were offerings that were made, that were grained. There were offerings that were made that were Jews fruit of the vine. And they were called drink offerings and they were taken and they were poured out on the alter.

And Paul says, I’m already being poured out. Paul declares his life to be a sacrifice to God. And while he is still in this life, he will continue to be a sacrifice to God. But there’s coming a time that the cup will be empty. And he says, it’s at hand, but he says in verse seven, I fought the fight.

First and foremost, when Paul views death preaching is important too, to Paul as he views death. But also he wants Timothy to know there’s peril that he needs to be aware of. Paul says, I fought the good fight. I finished the race. I kept the faith. Paul wants Timothy to know there is a peril that he needs to be aware of.

And it is that fighting is necessary to reach the end. You have to be ready to go to the end. If you desire to achieve the goal, Paul would elsewhere, right? Concerning those who strive for a goal and strive for mastery. That one who doesn’t strive lawfully will not receive the crown one who is not willing to strive to achieve the goal and go all the way to the end.

One who quits too soon will not receive the crown. Paul saw the peril, but he also saw the price. He said, I have fought the good fight. And I have finished the race. I have kept the faith and Timothy was with Paul. So many times where that cost Paul dearly. You can go over to the book of Corinthians and you can read concerning the list of things that Paul suffered to be a faithful Christian.

He was beaten. He was stoned. He was shipwrecked. And he says above all that, he had to care for the churches. And some of that care involved, the churches turning against him. There’s a parallel and there’s a price, but there’s also a reward. He says, finally, there’s laid up for me, a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,

the righteous judge will give to me on that day. And not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. There’s a reward to be had. Paul said everything that we go through, this, this race that we run with endurance, this race that we finished this course with this, this keeping the faith, this fight that we have to fight.

It has an end and it has a reward. And he describes the crown, not the crown of a King. The crown here is the crown of an Olympian. The reef crown that they would pull it on the head of one who ran successfully. The race. Paul says, there’s a crown waiting for me, but it’s not just a crown. It’s not a crown of gold or silver.

It’s not a crown of platinum or iron. It’s not a crown of, of glitter or any such thing. It is a crown of righteousness. The picture of God saying to a Christian, when he’s ended this life, you kept the faith. And now I’m bestowing my righteousness on you. I making you like me turn over to first. John, John gives us just a small glimpse into eternity.

He says in first John chapter three, behold, what manner of love the father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because he did not know him beloved. Now we are children of God and it is not yet been revealed. What we shall be. John says, as he’s writing this letter,

he said, we don’t yet know, God has not told us what we will be in eternity, but he says, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him for, we shall see him as he is. Paul says, there’s a crown of righteousness. That’s not a declaration of my righteousness, but of God’s righteousness. And it’s waiting for all those who love his appearing to set a contrast.

If you love the appearing of God, John writes in first John chapter three, and in verse three, all those who have this hope in them purify themselves for he is pure. John wants these Christians to know, if you look forward to the return of Christ, you will change your life. But remember, Paul just talked about those who didn’t want to change.

They just wanted to be encouraged to stay as they were. You can’t claim to love the appearing of Christ while simultaneously wanting to stay as you are. Paul said, I’m ready to depart because I’ve prepared for this day and every day, you and I have an opportunity to prepare for that day, but are we doing it Paul, as he views death,

views it in mind of preaching, views it in mind of the price, views it in mind of the reward, views it in mind of the peril of false teachers. He says in verse nine, be diligent to come to me quickly for Demas has forsaken me having loved this present world and has departed for Fessel Anika creations for Glacia Titus. For Dalmatia only Luke is with me,

get Mark and bring him with you for, he is useful to me for ministry Paul, as he views death, also views the people around him. He views those who have been profitable. He views those who have been detrimental. He views those who have deserted him and Demas deserted it because Demas gave into the peril that’s involved in this race. He gave in to this present world.

Demus was one who was a companion of Paul earlier on in Paul’s ministry. But Paul says here, Demas has departed. There were others who had departed, but they’re not described the way Demus was. Luke had departed. Luke was one who was with Paul, who was a companion of Paul, but he wasn’t always with Paul. He had gone on to do other things.

Creations had gone on to do other things, but Demas departed, because Demas left the faith. As we look back on our lives, we’ll remember those who found the world and it’s things more valuable than eternity. And that oughta sadden us that ought to cause our hearts to grieve. Because if they don’t change from that path, if they don’t repent, they have no hope.

When we look back on our lives, how do we weigh the value of the gospel and the value of possessions in our choices? When we get to the end of our lives, will we be saying, you know what? I wish I had spent more time gathering possessions. I wish I had spent more time making money. I wish I had spent more time seeking the grand you’re in this life.

Or as we face eternity where we say, I wish I had spent more time in the word of God. I wish I had spent more time preparing for this day. And for that day, I don’t think there’s very many people in the first category. I don’t think there’s very many people who reach the end of their lives and mourn the failed opportunities for more wealth.

In contrast to those who’ve mourn the failed opportunities to become godly and to do what’s right. We all have a choice. We all have a choice to decide what will our priorities be? Because there’s coming a day when we will run out of choices. Sometimes that happens for people before they die. Aaron, what do you mean? I mean, sometimes they lose the mental faculties to make the choices anymore.

There was an older gentleman that I knew growing up. When I met him, he was old the whole time I knew him. He was old towards the end of his life. This faithful Christian developed dementia. He never knew what day it was. He lived with his daughter and her husband and every single day he’d get up. He’d put on his suit.

He would walk out, say, I’m ready to go to church. Being a Christian meant so much to him that when he no longer had the faculties to determine what day it was, the only thing that mattered was on Sunday. He was going to church. We reached an age in life where we start to lose the ability to choose right from wrong.

Good from evil. We start to lose the ability to discern our choices. What choices will we have been doing to prepare for that day? What choices will we have been making? How will our life have been patterned so that when we lose that ability, we don’t become someone we never wanted to be. Are you living your life now? And have you lived your life to this day in such a way that you will not deviate from a pattern of godliness?

No matter what comes. Paul says to Timothy verse 13, bring the cloak that I left with. Carpus at trow. As when you come, even at the end of life, there are going to be physical needs. Even when we’re approaching death, we’re still going to have to live in this life until it’s over. We don’t get to just check out.

Paul said, I need my cloak. Winter’s coming. I need something to keep me warm, bring the cloak. But he also says, and the books, especially the parchments, from what we can understand from the language that’s used here and the implications of it, the parchments are probably a reference to the old Testament scriptures. When Paul is nearing the end of his life,

he wants the scriptures with him. What do you think he wanted to read? I can imagine that if we put our minds to it, we could come up with a few example, passages, maybe Psalm 23, maybe Psalm 57, where David is running from Saul and running from his enemies and is scared and relying upon God, maybe Isaiah 53, where we read about our Lord being the sacrifice for us.

I imagine Paul probably didn’t need to read a whole lot of it because most of it was probably already right here, but he wanted the parchments with him, but he then says, verse 14, in view of eternity, there are some people in my past that we need to deal with verse 14. He says, Alexander, the coppersmith did me much harm.

May the Lord repay him according to his works? Now that’s an interesting statement. When Paul reached the end of his life, here is a man who stood in opposition to Paul, who raised up a riot in opposition to Paul, who got Paul driven out of a city where there was opportunity. And there were people and souls being changed. And Paul’s is this man.

May he receive his works done back to him. Now that’s interesting because Paul doesn’t say, may the Lord strike him dead? Paul? Doesn’t say, may he never be forgiven? Paul says, may he be repaid according to his works? Well, what if in the intervening years between that day and Alexander’s death, Alexander repented heard the gospel and changed.

Then Paul could still say, may he be repaid according to his works? Because in the book of revelation, it makes it clear that when a Christian ends this life and they are forgiven and they are righteous before God, and they go into eternity, their works do follow them. What works have you done in this life that will follow you into eternity?

And will they be works that are repaid with judgment, justice and condemnation or grace, mercy, and forgiveness. But he also says, you also must be aware of him, must be aware of him for he has greatly resisted our words at my first defense. No one stood with me, but all for suck me, may it not be charged against them.

As Paul looks at his past and the people in his past, he sees some who in his past could have helped him. They could have stood with him and defended him at his trials. They could have helped him. And they did it. Paul doesn’t leave this life with animosity towards them. Paul doesn’t leave this life. Having said they never helped me when they could have helped me.

And I’ll never forgive him. Paul leaves this life saying, may the Lord not lay it to their charge? We look back on our lives. Are we still holding grudges that should have been put away years ago? Are we still holding things against people that they did that were wrong, but it’s killing our soul because we won’t let go. Paul said,

may it not be charged against them? But the contrast, everyone forsook him about the Lord. He says verse 17. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that the message might be preached fully through me and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion and the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserved me for his heavenly kingdom to him be glory forever and ever.

Amen. We reached the end of this life. When we look back on ours, we see people who deserted us will we see that the Lord never did? Will we see people who betrayed us and see that the Lord never did? Hebrews chapter 13, the Hebrew writer would write to these Christians as he closes this letter. And he says, in verse five,

let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can men do to me? Paul’s concern when he ended this life was when I had the opportunity to stand and to speak.

I stood and I spoke and I could rely on the Lord because it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter what a gripper said, and it didn’t matter what Augusta said. And it didn’t matter what Cesar said. It didn’t matter what the Jews could do or what they couldn’t do. It didn’t matter what the Roman Centurion did or didn’t do. It mattered that I preached the gospel because the Lord was always with me.

And if he is, it doesn’t matter what any man can do. But he also remembers friends. You and I will do that when we’re at the end of our lives. We’ll remember those good times. And those friends who helped us be better, he says, greet Priscilla or Prisca and Aquilla and the house of one ciphers Erastus stayed in Corinth, but trow,

a trophy. Mus, I have left in my latest sick. Do your utmost to come before winter. UGURUS greets you as well as Boudin’s Linus Claudia and all the brethren and his closing words. The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace, be with you as Paul closes his life in view of revelation and what he wrote. He ends with grace.

If you were to go through second Timothy, you would find he also started with grace for this young preacher, Timothy. He says, grace, be with you all. What was a common greeting in the day? But it was far more than that to Paul because in Titus chapter two, Paul says, grace teaches us to deny on godliness and to live soberly,

righteously and godly in this present world. Paul meant more than just may favor be with you, Paul men, may you live. So God’s grace stays with you. Paul wants Timothy to prepare for death. And the only way to prepare for death is to live life the right way, which is why Paul began with preach the word. John writes in first John chapter two and verse three here by do we know that we know God,

if we keep his commandments, you’re outside the body of Christ this morning. You’re outside of the place where salvation is found. Paul would write to the church at Ephesus that those who are outside the body of Christ, we’re outside of salvation. They were aliens from God, enemies of God. And without hope not without hope, because salvation wasn’t available without hope because they hadn’t taken the opportunity that was presented before them to have that salvation,

but they could. And so could you, if you’re outside the body of Christ, how do you know first and foremost that you’re there? How do you know if you’re outside or inside? Oh, it’s easy. You ask what have I done? And have I done what he said? Because the terms of entrance into the heavenly kingdom that Paul says he was being preserved for are clear.

We hear the word of God because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God that hearing produces a faith, a belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Jesus said, except do you believe that I am? He, you will die in your sins. Pretty cut and dry, but it doesn’t stop there because the same passage that says faith,

cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God also makes it clear that we must repent and confess the name of Christ with the mouth. Because those things lead to salvation. It doesn’t say those things will save us. It says those things lead to it. How then do we leave this life? The old man of sin died to self and become a Christian acts chapter two,

verse 38. There were some Jews that wanted to know that very question. There were some Jews that had just been accused of putting to death, the son of God, and had just been condemned as having the blood on their hands. And they said, what shall we do? The apostle Peter responded, repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.

When Paul who at the time was known as Saul was on a road to Damascus and was confronted by Christ and was told to go to Damascus and to wait where it would be told him what he should do. Paul would testify when he was a witness on trial that when Anna Niaz was sent to him and a Niaz arrived, and Paul had been there,

he was blinded. He had been praying and fasting for three days question. Did Paul already believe that Jesus was the son of God? Yes, he did. You want to know how I know he said who art, Val Lord on the road to Damascus and Jesus responded. I am Jesus. Whom thou persecute us. He already knew Jesus was the Lord.

And he already believed it. Andy was praying, but he wasn’t forgiven. You can put Saul there for three days in your mind. And imagine how many times you would have heard Saul, pray God for, give me, you see this man. It stood and hold held the coats of people who killed and stoned Stephen to death. And then he had gone about persecuting the church.

How many times do you think he asked for forgiveness in three days of fasting and praying how many times, but he wasn’t forgiving. Not yet. How do I know? Because Paul himself testified as he was on trial that Anna Niaz arrived and said to him, Saul, Saul, what are you waiting for arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.

Prayer wasn’t enough. Repentance. Wasn’t enough. Acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord and savior was not enough. Belief was not enough. And Anya said, get up and let me baptize you. And he became a Christian and that day he started getting ready for his last day. Are you ready today? If you have need to respond to the invitation for any reason,

don’t hesitate. Come forward as we stand. And as we say<inaudible> and<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> gone two rounds up. Uh<inaudible> jeez, us. Well, me<inaudible> Appreciate that lesson for the Cozort. The song for our closing prayer will be number 704, bind us together. Number seven, zero four, Bind us together.

Lord bind us together with<inaudible> can be bro. Uh, bind us together, bind us together, bind us together with, uh,<inaudible><inaudible> is on the one key. See<inaudible> on the one body. That is why we can see bind us together. Lord bind us together with cords. That can be<inaudible> bind us together. Lord bind us together or bind us together with,

uh, There God, our father in heaven, we truly are grateful unto thee for the privilege that it has been for us to come together this day to worship thee, we pray father that our worship was acceptable unto thee, and that we’ve been lifted up as we’ve studied your word. And we’ve been challenged to live our lives today as if it were our last,

we pray Lord that we would have no fear in death because we prepared ourselves for that home and having with a we’re so thankful father for the lesson that Aaron brought this morning, that might be one that we will strive to live out in our lives, just as the apostle Paul, that we have no regrets for the things that we’ve done. And we’ve known that we know that we’ve served and glorified you with our lives and that we have prepared ourselves for that home and heaven with a father.

We’re so thankful for our visitors today, and we pray your blessings to be upon them. If they have that opportunity to come back and be with us, we pray that they might father. We were mindful of those that are having different procedures done this week. We pray that we might be prayerful for them and that everything might go well for them, that they might regain their health father.

We pray for those that are ministering in other lands, teaching and preaching your word, bless them and watch over them, help us each day. That we’re good ministers of your word, that we’re trying to reach those in this area, that they too might come to the knowledge of your will and be children of yours. Bless us now, as we’re about to depart,

strengthen us each day. And we pray for that, that mercy and grace, when this life is over in Jesus name, amen.

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